NCJ Number
214876
Journal
Journal of Adolescence Volume: 29 Issue: 3 Dated: June 2006 Pages: 321-332
Date Published
June 2006
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This Swiss study of a sample of male adolescents (36 offenders and 46 nonoffender controls) examined links between delinquency and a diagnosis of alexithymia, which is mainly characterized by a difficulty in identifying and expressing feelings and a lack of fantasies.
Abstract
The study found that a disrupted family structure and a high level of alexithymic characteristics, particularly difficulty in identifying feelings, were associated with juvenile delinquency. The prevalence rate of alexithymia in the delinquent group (47.2 percent) was similar to the rate reported in studies of patients with psychiatric disorders. The rate of alexithymia in the control group (21.7 percent) was similar to that in previous studies, which showed that 23.5 percent of "normal adolescents" were alexithymic. These findings are consistent with previous studies that have found family disruption to be related to delinquency and that adolescent offenders have deficits in emotional understanding and communication. The author suggests group therapy as a means of assisting alexithymic youth to become more emotionally aware and expressive in a safe, supportive environment. Both adolescent (14-18 years old) groups (offenders and nonoffenders) completed the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale, the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale, and the Liste d'Adjectifs Bipolaires et en Echelles de Likert. The latter instrument measures neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. A demographic questionnaire recorded age, family structure, parent's socioeconomic status, and nationality. Data on family structure differentiated intact and disrupted family structures, indicating the absence of at least one parent. 5 tables and 45 references