Risk assessment of antisocial behaviour in adolescence

Research on risk assessment of antisocial behaviour in adolescence is closely linked to the VRAI protocol (Juvenile offender’s risk assessment) and its implementation. The VRAI protocol is a risk assessment tool designed for adolescents who are in compliance with juvenile justice measures. This protocol provides information on 24 risk factors, three protective factors and three other relevant variables to consider. Risk factors include historical factors (e.g., history of previous violence, history of child abuse, peer group rejection), psychosocial factors (e.g., inappropriate parental practices, peer group delinquency, lack of social support), and individual factors (e.g., impulsivity, callous-unemotional, attitudes towards violence). The protective factors are limited to psychosocial factors (i.e., involvement in prosocial behaviours, prosocial peers) and individual factors (coping skills). The other three variables (suicidal ideation, social desirability, lack of future expectations) are evaluated within the framework of the VRAI protocol because they are considered to be of special interest in the context of the assessment of the risk of delinquent behaviour in adolescent populations.

Main objective

To determine the risk level of antisocial behaviour in adolescents on the basis of different risk and protective factors.

Specific objectives

Evaluate the risk factors more strongly related to adolescent antisocial behaviour.
Identify different risk profiles on the basis of different risk and protective factors.
Develop prevention and intervention strategies adapted to the specific needs of the adolescent.

Sample of study

The first pilot study included a sample of 85 youngsters with different types of judicial measures in the Autonomous Community of Galicia. Of the total sample, 47 adolescents were on internment and 38 were on probation. This first pilot study led to the elaboration of the VRAIG protocol (Risk Assessment in Galician Adolescent Offenders). The VRAIG protocol laid the foundations for the elaboration of a more updated protocol, systematized and adapted to Information and Communication Technologies: the VRAI Protocol (Juvenile offender’s risk assessment). The sample used in this phase of study came from two Autonomous Communities of Spain (Galicia and Andalusia) and was composed of 340 youngsters in compliance with measures within the juvenile justice system and 150 in residential care centres of the Child Welfare System. In addition, a sample of 656 community adolescents was evaluated by means of the self-reported part of the VRAI Protocol. Furthermore, an international project allowed the adaptation of the original version of the VRAI Protocol for its use in Latin America, specifically in Peru.

Since 2014, the VRAI has been reviewed and updated on the basis of several pilot studies that provided valuable information for the development of a useful and practical tool in the field of adolescent risk assessment. All of this resulted in the VRAI 2.1 version, which is now ready to be implemented and evaluated, both in the juvenile justice and child welfare adolescent samples.

Informants

Both the technician version and the youth version of the VRAI include, firstly, a section to report about socio-demographic data and, secondly, a section to inform about the risk and protective factors. In regard to the technician version, the items were specifically developed for its inclusion in the Protocol. Regarding the youth version, all self-report scales were validated or previously used in this area of research. A detailed description of the scales used can be found in the VRAI manual.

Publications derived from this line of research:

Cutrín, O., Gómez-Fraguela, J.A., Maneiro, L., Sobral, J. & Luengo, M.A. (2016). Psychopathic traits mediate the effects of neighbourhood risk on juvenile antisocial behaviour. Psicothema,28 (4),428-434. doi:10.7334/psicothema2016.55
Cutrín, O., Gómez-Fraguela, J. A., Maneiro, L., & Sobral, J. (2017). Effects of parenting practices through deviant peers on nonviolent and violent antisocial behaviours in middle- and late-adolescence. The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 9(2), 75-82. doi: 10.1016/j.ejpal.2017.02.001
Maneiro, L., Gomez-Fraguela, J.A., Cutrin, O. & Romero, E. (2017). Impulsivity traits as correlates of antisocial behaviours in adolescents. Personality and Individual Differences, 104, 417-422. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2016.08.045
Cutrín, O., Gómez-Fraguela, J.A. & Sobral, J. (2017). Two faces of parental support: Risk and protection for antisocial youth depending on parental knowledge. Journal of Child and Family Studies.26, 296-305. doi: 10.1007/s10826-016-0559-6
Cutrín, O., Gómez-Fraguela, J. A., & Sobral, J. (2017). Gender differences in the influence of parenting on youth antisocial behavior through deviant peer. Spanish Journal of Psychology, 20, 1-10. doi:10.1017/sjp.2017.53
Cutrín, O., Gómez-Fraguela, J. A., & Sobral, J. (2017). Gender differences in youth substance use: The effects of parenting through a deviant peer group. Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse, 26(6), 472-481. doi:10.1080/1067828X.2017.1369203
Cutrín, O., Maneiro, L., Sobral, J., & Gómez-Fraguela, J. A. (2019). Validation of the desviant peers scale in spanish adolescents: a new measure to assess antisocial behaviour in peers. Journal of psychopathology and Behavioral assessment, 41, 185-197. doi:10.1007/s10862-018-9710-6
Cutrín, O., Maneiro, L., Sobral, J., & Gómez-Fraguela, J. A. (2019). Longitudinal effects of parenting mediated by deviant peers on violent and non-violent antisocial behaviour and substance use in adolescence. The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 11, 23-32. doi:5093/ejpalc2018a12
Cutrín, O., Maneiro, L., Sobral, J., & Gómez-Fraguela, J. A. (2019). Longitudinal validation of a new measure to assess parental knowledge and its sources in spanish adolescents. Journal od Child and Family Studies. 28, 1220-1235. doi:1007/s10826-019-01366-z
Maneiro, L., Gómez-Fraguela, J.A., López-Romero, L, Cutrín, O., & sobral, J. (2019). Risk profiles for antisocial behavior in adolescents placed in residential care. Children and Youth Services Review, 103, 278-286. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.06.012
Lopez-Romero, L., Maneiro, L., Cutrín, O., Gómez-Fraguela, J. A., Villar, P., Luengo, M. Á, Sobral, J. & Romero, E. (2019). Identifying risk profiles for antisocial behavior in a spanish sample of young offenders. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 63(10), 1896-1913, doi: 0306624X19842032
Maneiro, L., Cutrín, O., & Gómez-Fraguela, J.A. (2020). Gender differences in the personality correlates of reactive and proactive aggression in a Spanish sample of young adults. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 1-26. doi:10.1177/0886260520957697
Maneiro, L., Argudo, A., & Gómez-Fraguela, X. A. (2022). Risk profiles in a spanish sample of juvenile offenders: Implications for risk assessment and management. Psychology, Crime & Law, , 1-19. doi:10.1080/1068316X.2022.2055757
Gómez-Fraguela, X.A., Maneiro, L., Cutrín, O., Argudo, A. (2021). Valoración del riesgo en el sistema de justicia juvenil de la Ley Orgánica 5/2000. En A. Abadías, S.Cámara, S. y Simón, P. (Coord.) Tratado sobre delincuencia juvenil y responsabilidad penal del menor. A los 20 años de la Ley Orgánica 5/2000 de los menores .
Madrid: Wolters Kluwer.
Maneiro, L., Argudo, A., & Gómez-Fraguela, X. A. (2022). Distinctiveness of Reactive and Proactive Aggression from a Variable- and Person-based Approach in Juvenile Offenders and Community Youth . Child Psychiatry & Human Development. doi:1007/s10578-022-01479-5
Arranz, M., Maneiro, L., Cutrín, O. & Gómez-Fraguela, X.A. (2023). Factores de riesgo de quebrantamiento de medidas privativas de libertad en jóvenes infractores. Revista Española de Investigación Criminológica, 21 (1), e846. doi:46381/reic.v21i1.846