Prosocial attributes relate to lower recidivism in justice-involved youth: preliminary evidence using a novel measure of prosocial functioning
Journal of Public Mental Health
ISSN: 1746-5729
Article publication date: 13 September 2023
Issue publication date: 4 December 2023
Abstract
Purpose
Though prosocial attributes are linked to positive outcomes among justice-involved adolescents and are a mainstay of numerous interventions, few measures have been specifically designed to evaluate prosocial functioning within this population. Although multiple instruments measuring aspects of prosocial behavior exist, these instruments were not designed to measure prosocial behaviors among youth in juvenile justice settings. This study aims to provide a preliminary validation of a new measure of prosocial attributes (the Prosocial Status Inventory – PSI), which was designed to comprehensively evaluate in greater depth the prosocial functioning of urban, justice-involved youth.
Design/methodology/approach
Youth (n = 51) were recruited as part of a larger study and were participants in a community-based mentoring program in a large, urban county in the Southern USA. Youth completed the PSI at baseline prior to their participation in the community-based mentoring program. The authors obtained follow-up data on recidivism from the county juvenile justice department.
Findings
PSI scores were positively related to a lower rate of recidivism and a decrease in offending frequency over a 12-month follow-up period.
Originality/value
The current findings complement previous work, suggesting that prosocial attributes are measurable and related to important outcomes among justice-involved youth and support the utility of strengths-based treatment approaches. Moreover, it provides preliminary evidence of the utility of a new self-report measure to assess these traits within a juvenile justice population.
Keywords
Citation
Schmidt, A.T., Duron, J., Bergquist, B.K., Bammel, A.C., Maloney, K.A., Williams-Butler, A. and Hanten, G.R. (2023), "Prosocial attributes relate to lower recidivism in justice-involved youth: preliminary evidence using a novel measure of prosocial functioning", Journal of Public Mental Health, Vol. 22 No. 4, pp. 202-215. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPMH-02-2023-0012
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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