Research continues to highlight factors associated with developmental immaturity, including persistent delinquency. This article examines whether aspects of developmental immaturity, psychosocial maturity, and emotion regulation are responsive to therapeutic intervention. Fifty-seven female youth in secure residential juvenile justice facilities participated in a randomized controlled trial of the Juvenile Justice Anger Management (JJAM) Treatment for Girls, an intervention that targets skills relevant to psychosocial maturity, including problem-solving, coping, and emotion regulation. Participants in JJAM showed increases in temperance, providing evidence that intervention might stimulate psychosocial development. Implications for treatment, evaluation, and measurement of psychosocial maturity are discussed. (Publisher abstract provided.)
Can We Hasten Development? Effects of Treatment on Psychosocial Maturity
NCJ Number
310671
Journal
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 62 Issue: 9 Dated: 2017
Date Published
October 2017
Abstract