Description
Risk assessment is an important consideration in both the mental health and justice systems. While past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior, this study sought to determine if the non-criminal aspects of an individual’s past experiences were useful in predicting recidivism.. Current research suggests there are two primary types of trauma: (a) Type I refers to discrete, dramatic, single-incident stressors (characteristic of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder); while (b) Type II stressors are chronic, pervasive, and early-onset (as expressed in cumulative trauma, complex trauma, and Disorders of Extreme Stress, not Otherwise Specified). Goals of this study include: (a) assessing the prevalence of Type I and Type II trauma present within the sample; (b) evaluating gender differences in trauma profiles and recidivism events and; (c) analyzing time until recidivism through Type I and Type II characterizations of trauma. This study utilizes data previously collected from juvenile delinquent boys and girls in San Diego, CA between 2008-2013 (n=122). Findings indicate that both Type I and Type II traumas are present within the sample. Further, boys and girls are significantly different across nearly every trauma domain evaluated, with females scoring higher than their male counterparts. Only Type II trauma variables reached any level of significance in predicting the hazard to recidivism, although Type I and Type II models were improved with the addition of certain psychopathology domains. Additional research is needed in order to understand mechanisms that mediate the relationship between trauma and recidivism. Results from this study suggest that Type II, or cumulative, trauma constructs may be more informative than Type I in predicting recidivism outcomes for adolescence and young adults.
