Sex differences in predictors of violent and non‐violent juvenile offending

Abstract

In response to concerns regarding the rise in female juvenile violent crime and the dearth of gender-specific research, this study aimed to identify predictors of violent offending in female offenders. Data were extracted from risk assessments of 586 male and female juvenile offenders (aged 11-17 years) conducted between 2005 and 2009 by the Youth Offending Service in Gloucestershire, an English county. Information regarding the young people's living arrangements, family and personal relationships, education, emotional/mental health, thinking and behavior, and attitudes to offending was recorded. Comparisons were made between the violent male offenders (N = 185), the violent female offenders (N = 113), the non-violent male offenders (N = 150), and the non-violent female offenders (N = 138) for these variables. These were followed by a multinomial logistic regression analysis. The findings indicated that engaging in self-harm was the best predictor of being a female violent offender, with the predictors of giving into pressure from others and attempted suicide nearing significance. Furthermore, non-violent females were significantly less likely to lose control of their temper and more likely to give in to pressure from others than their violent counterparts. Non-violent males were significantly less likely to lose control of their temper and more likely to self-harm and give in to pressure from others than violent males. Although many similarities existed between sexes for predictors of violent offending, the findings of this study indicate that more attention needs to be paid to the mental health of female offenders.

School aggression in adolescence: Examining the role of individual, family and school variables

“…For girls, the quality of family relationships also plays a direct protective role. Both European and North American studies have documented the importance of family functioning on behavioral adjustment among girls ( Stephenson et al, 2014 , Van der Put et al, 2014 ).…”

“…Moreover, these relationships were examined in boys and girls separately, since the review of past research suggests that some of these variables may contribute differentially to aggressive behaviour according to gender ( Estévez & Jiménez, 2015 ). For example, research suggests that girls are more likely to show positive attitudes towards authority ( Emler & Reicher, 2005 ), stronger relationships between family risk factors and aggressive behaviour ( Stephenson, Woodhams, & Cooke, 2014 ) as well as between social reputation and antisocial behaviour ( Carroll et al, 1999 ), and perceive closer relationships with their teachers ( Madill, Gest, & Rodkin, 2014 ). Theoretical model is presented in Figure 1 .…”

Violent and Nonviolent Youth Offenders

“…Another limitation of the study is that the majority of the sample comprised male youth offenders. Caution should be exercised in generalizing the findings to female youth offenders, given that there are gender differences in aggression, the development of aggression ( Loeber & Stouthamer-Loeber, 1998 ), and risk factors for aggression ( Penney, Lee, & Moretti, 2010 ; Stephenson, Woodhams, & Cooke, 2014 ; Valois et al, 2002 ). It would be useful for future studies to examine violent offender typology among female youth offenders.…”

Introductory Chapter: Brachial Plexus Injuries - Past, Present, and Future

“…Other causes are wars [15][16][17] and assaults [18,19]. The incidence is higher in males than in females [1,2,13,20], probably related to the highest aggressiveness and violent behavior in the former [21]. In newborns brachial plexus injuries are usually due to problems during vaginal delivery [3,22], particularly in case of a macrosomic fetus [23,24], common in diabetic mothers [25].…”