McCuish, E., & Corrado, R. (2015). The development of early onset, chronic, and versatile offending: The role of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and mediating factors. CrimRxiv. https://doi.org/10.21428/cb6ab371.70f72383

Abstract:

Background: There are several different hypothesized pathways that identify patterns of risk/protective factors concerning the development of adolescent chronic and violent offending. An under-researched and lesser understood pathway concerns how fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is related either directly to the development of offending or indirectly to other criminogenic risk factors that contribute to offending and as well as negative health outcomes.

Objective: Explore developmental and offending outcome differences between FASD and non-FASD youth.

Methods: Ordinary least square and logistic regression analyses used to compare incarcerated Canadian FASD (n = 58) and non-FASD (n = 456) youth on measures of offending and risk factors associated with offending.

Results: Incarcerated youth with FASD were more likely to experience a variety of outcomes considered to be risk factors for offending, including placement in foster care, having a comorbid behavioral disorder, having low self-control, a negative self-identity, and an earlier age of first alcohol use.

Conclusions: Although FASD was also related to an earlier onset of offending and more frequent offending, these relationships were not evident once other key risk factors were included in multivariate analyses. Very importantly, this suggested that FASD youth were only at risk of early and frequent offending if they first had experienced other negative outcomes. Recommendations are made relating to interventions that can be implemented to reduce risk of youth with FASD experiencing other criminogenic factors.