Purpose: This overview of reviews analyses the existing evidence base of functional family therapy (FFT), which is a manualized, family-based intervention for youth with behavioral problems and their families. FFT has been implemented among youth aged 10-18 at risk of, or presenting with, behavioral problems such as delinquency, violence,…

Student absenteeism is a persistent concern in K-12 education. Not only are the negative academic and social consequences of excessive absenteeism well documented, but states, districts, and schools are increasingly being held accountable for student attendance. As research indicates that disruptions in students' learning contexts may exacerbate…

This article reports on an empirical study of a literature project at a special residential home for detained youth in Sweden. Informed by critical literacy, the study explored the ways in which versions of empowerment in relation to reading were performed in a 'critical space'. The ethnographic study was analytically inspired by the actor-network…

The onset of behavioral problems in early childhood is associated with an increased frequency of delinquent behavior. A significant amount of youth in the juvenile justice system have histories of mental illness and psychological distress. However, little is known about what factors mediate the relationship between early onset behavioral problems…

This study assessed the prevalence of verbally being put down by others and intrapersonal and normative factors associated with being put down by others among middle and high school students. Students (N = 1,027) completed the Adolescent Health Risk Behavior Survey. Over 16% of participants reported being put down at school. Students who…

Parental warmth and hostility are two key dimensions of parenting for child development, but the differential effects of these parenting dimensions on child prosocial and antisocial development has not been adequately investigated. The current study hypothesized that parental warmth would be uniquely related to child callous-unemotional traits and…

The present study aims to investigate whether support from a friend protects against the negative effects of ethnic harassment on engagement in delinquent and violent behaviors among immigrant adolescents in Sweden (n = 365; X = 13.93, SD = 0.80). We found that when ethnically harassed immigrant adolescents received friend support, they were less…

A third of U.S. students are suspended over a K-12 school career. Suspended youth have worse adult outcomes than nonsuspended students, but these outcomes could be due to selection bias: that is, suspended youth may have had worse outcomes even without suspension. This study compares the educational and criminal justice outcomes of 480 youth…

Given large variations in the etiology and developmental trajectories of violent and nonviolent delinquency, this study examines whether educational outcomes of violent and nonviolent offenders might differ. In particular, this study attempts to remove environmental influences such as family background and neighborhood effects from the effects of…

This study examined how early adolescents' risk taking propensity and urban stress were linked to their affiliation with risky peers. Participants (n = 297; [X-bar] age = 10.48 years [SD = 0.93 years]; 54% male; 58% Black/African American) completed a brief laboratory-based behavioral risk taking task. They also completed self-report measures of…

Reentry services for young offenders need to be youth-focused and inclusive of the multiple entities that support a youth's return to the community. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding from stakeholders' perspectives, based on experience, to identify challenges and facilitators to support young offenders' reengagement in…

The field of integrated language arts is an ideal forum for sharing stories, discussing perspectives, expressing emotions in a healthy way, and challenging the systems that govern and shape our lives. Accomplishing this goal in a traditional classroom can sometimes be difficult, but for a moment, consider the physical space of a classroom within a…

Background: Aspects of the school environment, such as school attachment levels, are linked to adolescent offending. Previous research has not clarified whether a school- or individual-level intervention approach to improving pupil school attachment and commitment is most likely to reduce adolescent offending. Aim: The present study assessed the…

A survey of 224 gay and lesbian college students and young adults, solicited from classes at a large state university in the American Midwest and social media sites, reveals a previously unrecognized predictor of the increased risk of delinquency among gay/lesbian adolescents: the belief that "there's nothing out there," a lack of…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether bullying perpetration in early adolescence is capable of predicting delinquency 1 year later. Nine control variables were included in a regression analysis of the bullying-delinquency relationship in 1,001 schoolchildren (X-bar age = 12.97 years). The nine control variables (age, sex, race, social…