Family Relationships, Aggression, Substance Misuse, and Recidivism of Youth Transitioning from Residential Facilities to the Community: Do their Growth Trajectories in Communication Skills Matter?

Previous reentry studies of justice-involved youth mainly examined adverse childhood experiences, offending history, and delinquent peer association to predict reentry outcomes. Little is known about the impact improved communication skills on their reentry experiences. Given that effective communic...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Liu, Lin (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2025
In: Journal of developmental and life-course criminology
Year: 2025, Volume: 11, Issue: 1, Pages: 323-344
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Keywords:
Aggression
Communication skills
Family relationships
Group-based trajectory
Justice-involved youth
Recidivism
Substance misuse
Description
Summary:Previous reentry studies of justice-involved youth mainly examined adverse childhood experiences, offending history, and delinquent peer association to predict reentry outcomes. Little is known about the impact improved communication skills on their reentry experiences. Given that effective communication affects many facets of human life, this study addressed this under-studied question using longitudinal case-level data of justice-involved youth. The dynamic development of communication skills was assessed, enabling the estimation of both initial proficiency and growth rate in relation to reentry outcomes. Group-based trajectory analyses of the data identified youth groups with distinct trajectories of communication skill development during their stays in residential placement; group membership was then used to predict four reentry outcomes: recidivism, aggression, substance misuse, and closeness with family. Results showed heterogeneous paths of communication skills development across the groups of youth in residential placement, and this heterogeneity explained their reentry outcomes. Implications for policies and practices are discussed.
ISSN:2199-465X
DOI:10.1007/s40865-025-00285-6