Adolescent girls' offending and health-risking sexual behavior: the predictive role of trauma.
Several studies have highlighted high levels of risk for girls who have been exposed to traumatic experiences, but little is known about the exact relationship between traumatic experiences and problems with delinquency and health-risking sexual behavior (e.g., precipitory and/or exacerbatory roles). However, numerous short- and long-term detrimental effects have been linked to trauma, delinquency, and health-risking sexual behavior. The utility of diagnostic and experiential trauma measures in predicting the greatest risk for poor outcomes for delinquent girls was examined in this study. Results indicate that the experiential measures of trauma (cumulative and composite trauma scores) significantly predicted adolescent offending and adolescent health-risking sexual behavior, whereas the diagnostic measures of trauma (full and partial diagnostic criteria) did not.
Smith
Dana K
DK
Oregon Social Learning Center, Eugene, OR, USA.
Leve
Leslie D
LD
Chamberlain
Patricia
P
D000293:Adolescent; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008016:Life Change Events; D010808:Physical Examination; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*