Individual Assignment Research Article Analysis

Research Article Analysis

CJA/334

Research Article Analysis

Predicting juvenile delinquency: The nexus of childhood maltreatment, depression and bipolar disorder.

Purpose of the research study

The purpose of the research study is to provide and identify preventive interventions including treatments effective for those youths at risk for offending behavior. Research problems exist while predicting juvenile delinquency and the connections of early childhood or adolescent experiences, and later of delinquent adjudication. In addition, studies of variable interventions not considered or accounted as mental disorders, maltreatment, and delinquent adjudication but found delinquency outcome was less likely as depression and bipolar are a lifetime diagnosis (Mallett, Dare & Seck, 2009). The designed question is testing associations between mental disorders, maltreatment, and later delinquent adjudication. In addition to identifying and providing intervention of offended behavior to those youths are at risk.

Design of the study

Three principal variables of the design of study are to measure identification to delinquency risk factors. In this literature, the subject discussed is based upon availability for practical purposes used family records and youth's whereas tracking the variables over 4 years. Variables were of ADHD, depressions, and overarching variable of childhood maltreatment in addition to two mental disorder variables (Mallett, Dare & Seck, 2009).

Operational definition

Defined in the study through characteristics were dependent variables by the juvenile court system consisting of any delinquency adjudication between the ages of 11 and 17. Therefore, independent variables of mental disorders were ADHD, mood disorders, and childhood maltreatment. The variable was a three-category race utilized to a controlled variable of (African American, Caucasian, and Hispanic-American). The diagnostic process was reliable and valid as the standard used was Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (Mallett, Dare & Seck, 2009).

Inductive Logic

In the beginning, inductive logic was exploratory. Investigating whether the variables of maltreatment and metal health were associated with later delinquency used was the logistic regression analysis. Cohort selected randomly, early diagnosis is found as the association of later delinquency adjudication is linked to depressive disorder. The sample conducted in the beginning was to enter independent variables separately then the variables together. Screened data was to see any missing data or outliers. Calculating Mahalanobis Distance and examining multicollinearity among predictors, a preliminary regression was performed. The results reflected tolerance for the variables to be greater than 0.1 of multicollinearity was without any problems. Identified were three outliers therefore recoded (Mallett, Dare & Seck, 2009).

Deductive logic

The hypothesis of the research confirmed that the logistics regression analysis had identified lifetime diagnosis of depression and bipolar disorder to be predictive of later youth delinquency adjudication. Involvement with the child welfare system it was found childhood maltreatment made delinquency outcome less likely (Mallett, Dare & Seck, 2009).

Identify research study (Quantitative or Qualitative)

The analysis used in the study was identified as quantitative which investigated if maltreatment and mental health were variables that were independent and associated with later delinquency. The sample entered is by variables that screened for missing data and outliers. In addition, researchers by controlling the questionable variables reduced social reality to the influential variables (Mallett, Dare & Seck, 2009).

Methodology, Population, Sampling methods, and Return Rate

Random sampling was the methodology of two juvenile courts system in Northeast Ohio from 2003 to 2006 in a 4-year span (Mallett, Dare & Seck, 2009). The research study of the population was juveniles in two counties of Ohio. Both counties Cuyahoga and Lorain geographically connected were random selections for the data collection of each year. Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court provided data from (2003, 2004, and 2005) with averages of a year for 3600 youths. Lorain County Juvenile Court provided data from (2005 and 2006) under probation supervision averages per year of 510 youths (Mallett, Dare & Seck, 2009).

The final sample study in (102 in each study year) was the result of 510 youths Cuyahoga County had 306 youths while Lorain County was 249 youths. Results from 555 youths as most were male (n - 398, 71.7%, from an ethnic minority (n = 300, 54.4% African American; n = 215, 39.9% Caucasian; n = 29, 5.6% Hispanic American; and 11 missing). Probation supervision at the time of juvenile court was from 151 (27.3%) was under the age of 14 and 129 (23.3% at the age of 15, 165 (29.7%) age 16 and 110 (19.7% age 17" (Mallett, Dare & Seck, 2009, p. 239).

Findings of the Study

The student finding were that maltreatment made delinquency outcomes less likely with the involvement in the child welfare system.

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