TITLE The Relationship between Childhood Maltreatment and Adolescent Involvement in

This study used data from the Rochester Youth Development Study to examine linkages between childhood maltreatment and later delinquency. Three central issues were addressed: (1) the magnitude of the relationship between early child maltreatment and later official and self-reported delinquency; (2) the possibility of spuriousness in this relationship; and (3) the impact of more extensive measurement of maltreatment on later delinquency. The final sample was comprised of 1,000 students attending seventh or eighth grade in 1988 and their primary caretakers; with males and students from high crime areas overrepresented. Data were collected through separate interviews with adolescents and caretakers. The child maltreatment measure was based on information from Child Protective Services records. Five indicators of maltreatment were used, prevalence and frequency of maltreatment, duration, number of types of maltreatment, and total severity score. Outcome measures included official measures of number of police contacts as a juvenile or arrests as an adult and self-report of delinquency from eighth through twelfth grades. Delinquency indices were general, serious, moderate, minor, and violent delinquency. Results revealed a significant relationship between child maltreatment occurring before age 12 and subsequent self-reported and official delinquency and the relationship, especially for more serious forms of delinquency, remained when controlling for other factors such as race/ethnicity, sex, underclass status, and family structure. The results also suggested that more extensive maltreatment is related to higher rates of delinquency. Appendices provide exemplars of levels of abuse severity and the delinquency scales. (Four tables delineate findings. Contains 65 references.) (AA) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ******************************************************************************** U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Once of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES RIC) INFORMATION CENT XThis document has been reproduced as received from the person of Ofclanizahon onginanng d. O Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated m document do not neCeSSOnly represent official OE RI positron or pOlICy. Rochester Youth Development Study Working Paper No. 17 The Relationship Between Childhood Maltreatment and Adolescent Involvement in Delinquency* Carolyn A. Smith* Terence P. Thornberry PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY okAr. stiNckh TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) Working Paper Series BEST COPY AVAILABLE 2 Rochester Youth Development Study Hindelang Criminal Justice Research Center The University at Albany 135 Western Avenue Albany, NY 12777 Telephone: 518-442-5600 Fax: 518-442-5603 Prepared under Grant No. 86-JN-CX-0007 (S-3) from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, Grant No. 5 RO1 DA05512-02 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and Grant No. SES-8912274 from the National Science Foundation. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the funding agencies.