title: Delinquency in incarcerated male adolescents is associated with single parenthood, exposure to more violence at home and in the community, and poorer self-image.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the relationships between delinquency and demographic and family variables, academic performance, war stressors, home/community, school, and media violence exposure, self-image, and psychopathology.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study included 100 delinquent, incarcerated male adolescents and 100 matched schoolchildren from Croatia. It lasted from January 2008 to June 2009, and used socio-demographic questionnaire, questionnaire on children's stressful and traumatic war experiences, exposure to violence scale, the Offer Self-Image Questionnaire, and Youth Self-Report Questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Logistic regression analysis showed that delinquency in incarcerated adolescents was more likely related to having parents who did not live together (odds ratio [OR] 2.40; confidence interval [CI] 1.18-4.90, P=0.015), being more exposed to violence at home/community (OR 3.84; CI 1.58-9.34, P=0.003), and having poorer self-image (OR 1.09; CI=1.03-1.16, P>0.002).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Preventive and therapeutic interventions in incarcerated delinquents should be specifically targeted toward single parenthood, family factors, trauma oriented interventions, and focused on multiple dimensions of self-concept of adolescents.
authors.affiliation: Ivan Begovac, Department of psychological medicine, School of Medicine, University Zagreb, Clinical hospital center, Kispaticeva 12, HR- 10000 Zagreb, Croatia, ivan.begovac@mef.hr.
authors.forename: Stanislava
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Erdelja
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vokal
authors.forename: Marija
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bolfan
authors.forename: Sergej Augustin
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Erdelja
authors.forename: Branka
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Begovac
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Begovac
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017523:Croatia; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005190:Family; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012574:Schools; D012649:Self Concept; D020954:Single-Parent Family / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012931:Social Environment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014857:Warfare