Sex differences in predictors of violent and non-violent juvenile offending
2014
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 (N¼185), the violent female offenders (N¼113), the non‐violent male offenders
(N¼150), and the non‐violent female offenders (N¼138) 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.
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