title: Personality patterns of delinquent females: ethnic and sociocultural variations.
abstract: Identified personality patterns of delinquent females and determined the relationship of ethnicity and socioeconomic status to delinquent personality patterns. A sample of 48 white, black and Hispanic adjudicated delinquents, aged 13-18, of three SES levels, was obtained from a suburban Bay Area probation department. Ss were administered the Diagnostic Interview for Borderlines, the Rorschach and the WAIS or WISC-R. Analysis of test profiles revealed four "personality patterns:" Borderline (N = 7), antisocial (N = 14), neurotic (N = 18) and socialized delinquent (N = 9). Personality patterns differed significantly among ethnic and SES groups. White delinquents were more likely to be neurotic than blacks or Hispanics. Middle-class delinquents were more likely to be neurotic than lower-class delinquents. Implications of the results are discussed in terms of the assessment and treatment of female delinquents, particularly the need to match treatment interventions to specific delinquent personality patterns.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000523:psychology; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000523:psychology; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000523:psychology*; D009497:Neurotic Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors