Girls in detention are known as a vulnerable target group with specific treatment needs. This study examined the relationship between living group climate and treatment motivation, among female detained youth (15-23 years, N = 62) in a German youth detention center. Results indicate a positive correlation between various factors of living group climate and treatment motivation among young female detainees in a German youth detention facility. The living environment proved to be a significant predictor of treatment motivation. In future, understanding gender-specific experiences and needs within detention can contribute to the development of gender-specific care and interventions.

This meta-analysis evaluated judicial interventions for juvenile delinquency certified by the Netherlands Youth Institute with "initial indications" for effectiveness. Ten (quasi-)experimental studies examining TOOLS4U, Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT), Multi Systemic Therapy (MST), Only You Decide who you Are (OYD), Responsive Social Skills Therapy (Re-SST), and Responsive Aggression Regulation Therapy (Re-ART) were synthesized. The overall effect was small, positive, and significant (g = 0.22; 95%CI: 0.02, 0.42). Responsive cognitive behavioral therapy (Re-SST and Re-ART) and the sports-based intervention OYD seem effective, whereas social skills training (TOOLS4U) and family-based systemic interventions (MDFT and MST) seem ineffective. However, effectiveness of family-based programs can possibly be enhanced if youth at medium-to-high risk for delinquency is treated for 6 months or longer, which aligns with the Risk-Need-Responsivity model. Better program delivery and general instead of specific offenses were associated with larger effects. We advocate a stronger evidence-based RNR approach to juvenile delinquency in the Netherlands.

This study represents the first longitudinal data of living group climate in a Germany youth detention centre in terms of the support from staff, opportunities for growth, repression and group atmosphere among inmates. Participants were male adolescents (N = 709) living in supervised living groups. They completed the German version of the PGCI at 8 different moments over a period of 5 years, from 2014 to 2019. Four separate piecewise multilevel regression analyses revealed a significant increase of support. Repression decreased significantly during the first three measurement waves, and subsequently showed a slight but significant increase, while neither growth nor group atmosphere significantly changed. The present results are novel in their character as they explicitly add to the limited body of knowledge on longitudinal changes in living group climate in youth detention facilities.

A systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis was performed (28 studies and 313 effect sizes) on the relation between residential group climate (i.e., safety, atmosphere, repression, support, growth, structure) and antisocial behavior, including aggression and criminal recidivism. A systematic search was conducted in PsychINFO, ERIC, and OVID Medline up to February 2023. Results showed a small but significant association ( r = .20) between residential group climate and antisocial behavior, equivalent to a 23% reduction of antisocial behavior in all clients receiving care in a residential facility with a therapeutic group climate. Moderator analyses showed that experienced safety was more strongly related to antisocial behavior ( r = .30) than the other dimensions of group climate (.17 < r < .20), while the effect size was somewhat larger for adults ( r = .24) than for youth ( r = .15). We conclude that residential facilities should consider safety as a priority and should involve clients in a positive process of change through the development of a therapeutic environment and delivery of evidence-based treatment, addressing their needs from the perspective of rehabilitation.

Youths with mild intellectual disability (MID) are assumed to show impaired cognitive and affective empathy. However, the use of linguistic and conceptual complex empathy measures set limits to the valid and reliable assessment of empathy in youth with MID or borderline intelligence (BI). The objective of the present study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of the adapted BES-MID as an instrument for assessing cognitive and affective empathy in youth and young adults (12-24years) with MID/BI. The current study was conducted in a sample of N = 146 youth and young adults with MID or BI Results from Confirmatory Factor Analyses confirm the two-factor structure of affective and cognitive empathy for the BES-MID. While the original BES cannot be used to assess empathy in youth and young adults with MID or borderline intelligence, the BES-MID showed satisfactory validity and reliability in youth and young adults with MID or borderline intelligence. Despite some limitations and the need for further research, the current study has resulted in a valid and reliable empathy scale (BES-MID) for assessing cognitive and empathic abilities in youth and young adults with MID or borderline intelligence, which is important for future empathy research in youth and young adults with MID or borderline intelligence.

Introduction Sexual exploitation is a human rights violation that has a detrimental impact on the psychological-, physical- and social well-being of victims. Sexually exploited male youth are prevalent, yet underrepresented in clinical practice, policy and research. There are multiple barriers that often prevent male youth to disclose and to seek or receive support, such as gender norms, limited awareness of victimization and feelings of guilt and shame. Objectives By gaining more insight into the background and clinical characteristics of male victims and their care and support needs, this study aims to raise awareness and to better inform policymakers, care- and educational professionals on adequate prevention and intervention efforts. Methods Twenty-six male youth at high-risk or victims of sexual exploitation participated in this qualitative study. By means of semi-structured interviews and case-file analyses, data was collected by to identify risk and protective factors in their life-course and care and support needs. Results Results indicate that several vulnerabilities (e.g. previous experiences of abuse and neglect, mental health problems, household dysfunction, social rejection, running away, substance use) and a lack of positive and supportive relationships led male youth into high-risk situations. Among these were involvement in pay dates, survival sex and criminality, which contributed to victimization. Experiences of stigmatization were often a barrier to express vulnerabilities and to disclose victimization. There was a wide variety in care and support needs, including peer-to-peer support, therapy, support with day-to-day practices and anonymous support. Conclusions These results will contribute to adequate prevention and intervention strategies and meet the unique needs of male youth at risk for, or victim of sexual exploitation. Disclosure of Interest G. Mercera Grant / Research support from: This research was funded by the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports (grant number: 328604)., S. Leijdesdorff: None Declared, E. Heynen: None Declared, T. van Amelsvoort: None Declared

Youth are at elevated risk of becoming victims of sexual exploitation, which has a detrimental impact on their physical and psychological well-being. Understanding factors associated with sexual exploitation is key for prevention efforts and adequate and timely treatment. This systematic review sheds more light on this by providing an overview of both risk and protective factors for sexual exploitation in male and female youth from a cross-cultural perspective. In all, 65 studies were selected meeting the inclusion criteria: qualitative or quantitative peer-reviewed studies in English, Dutch, or German with findings on risk and protective factors associated with sexual exploitation in youth aged up to 24 years. Results show that there are common risk factors in male and female youth worldwide (e.g., adverse childhood experiences, lack of a social network, substance use, and running away). Positive and supportive relationships are an important protective factor in mitigating the risk of sexual exploitation. Geographic differences were found. In non-Western continents, more environmental factors (e.g., economic vulnerabilities, residential instability) were cited. Research in countries outside the United States is limited and protective factors and males are underexamined. To fully understand vulnerabilities in youth, their interactions, and possible gender differences and to address the needs of diverse populations, more insight should be gained into the broader range of risk and protective factors worldwide. This systematic review has made a valuable contribution to this by providing practice, policy, and research guidance in the establishment of more targeted prevention efforts, adequate treatment, and areas to address in future research.

There is vast empirical evidence showing that juvenile delinquency is associated with delays in moral development, including moral judgment, empathy, and self-conscious emotions (guilt and shame). Consequently, interventions have been developed that target moral development of juvenile delinquents to reduce criminal offense recidivism. However, a comprehensive synthesis of studies examining the effectiveness of these interventions was not yet available. The present meta-analysis of (quasi-)experimental research therefore examined the effects of interventions that target moral development of youth engaged in delinquent behavior. Interventions that targeted moral judgment (11 studies and 17 effect sizes) showed a significant and small-to-medium effect on moral judgment (d = 0.39), with intervention type as a significant moderator, but no significant effect on recidivism (d = 0.03; 11 studies and 40 effect sizes). No (quasi-)experimental studies were found that targeted guilt and shame in juvenile offenders, and an insufficient number of studies (i.e., only two) were found to conduct a meta-analysis of interventions that target empathy. The discussion focuses on potential ways to improve moral development interventions for youth engaged in delinquent behavior, and provides suggestions for future research.

Refugee children and adolescents have often experienced negative or traumatic events, which are associated with stress and mental health problems. A specific music therapy intervention is developed for this group in school settings. The aim of the present study was to set the first steps in the implementation of this intervention. A process evaluation was performed using a mixed method design among refugee children and adolescents (6–17 years) at three different schools in the Netherlands. Interviews were conducted with teachers and music therapists before, at the midpoint, and after the intervention. At these moments, children completed a classroom climate questionnaire and a visual analogue scale on affect. The results indicate that the intervention strengthens the process of social connectedness, resulting in a “sense of belonging”. The intervention may stimulate inclusiveness and cultural sensitivity, and may contribute to a safe environment and the ability of teachers to adapt to the specific needs of refugee children. Refugee children and adolescents showed a decrease of negative affect during the intervention. When implementing the intervention in schools, it is important to take into account the initial situation, the prerequisites for the intervention, the professional competence, the experience of music therapists, and the collaboration and communication between the professionals involved.

The aim of the present study was to examine construct validity and reliability of the German reactive proactive aggression questionnaire (RPQ) in a sample of delinquent boys (N = 156). A confirmatory factor analysis with a two-factor model of reactive and proactive aggression showed a good fit to the data. The factor structure of the original RPQ could be fully replicated in the German translation, and Cronbach's alphas were good for both subscales. Concurrent validity of the RPQ was demonstrated by significant correlations with the subscales of the inventory of callous unemotional traits. In future studies, the German RPQ can be used to assess reactive and proactive aggression in judicial and forensic psychiatric care in Germany. The present findings also provide support for the use of the RPQ in cross-cultural comparisons.

The effectiveness of moral behavior interventions with young offenders. A survey study Juvenile delinquents appear to be delayed in their moral development, more specific the development of their moral judgment, empathy, guilt and shame. Moral development also appears to predict recidivism. It is therefore plausible that interventions that focus on the moral development of juvenile delinquents could have a beneficial effect on reducing recidivism. However, our systematic review (i.e., meta-analysis) shows that with these so-called moral behavioral interventions the level of moral judgment of juvenile offenders can be significantly increased, by 22%, but that such interventions have no effect on recidivism. It may be possible to increase the effectiveness of moral interventions for juvenile delinquents by simultaneously influencing several aspects of moral development instead of, for example, only moral judgment or empathy. In addition, problems of poor aggression regulation, often caused by a history of traumatic events, may need to be addressed first before moral-behavioral interventions can be effective.

A three-level meta-analysis was conducted to examine the association between parenting style (authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and neglectful parenting) and empathy in youth. The overall effect size that was based on 65 effect sizes extracted from 14 studies with a total sample size of 2,504 participants, was r = .17 (p < .001), indicating a modest positive association between parenting style and empathy. Moderator analyses showed that only authoritative parenting was positively associated with empathy (r = .23, p < .001). The association between parenting and cognitive empathy (r = .35, p <.001) and between parenting and affective empathy (r = .24, p <.01) were both significant, whereas no significant association was found between parenting and empathy in general (r = .09, n.s.). Further, a significant association between parenting and empathy was found for middle (r = .16, p <.01) and high (r = .19, p <.001) socio-economic status (SES) of the family but not for low family SES (r = .03, n.s.). Assessment type of parenting style was a significant moderator, with only questionnaire assessments yielding a significant effect size (r = .22, p <.001) in contrast to observations (r = .03, n.s.) and composite measures (r = .11, n.s.). Finally, somewhat larger effect sizes were found in studies that were more recently published. Regarding empathy in youth, it is concluded that the authoritative parenting style is the most successful at influencing empathy. However, the results of this meta-analysis should be considered preliminary.

Aggression and callous-unemotional (CU) traits are common problems in incarcerated delinquent youth. The present study was conducted to examine whether living group climate was associated with aggression and CU traits in late adolescent male offenders (N = 156) in a German youth prison. A structural equation model was fitted to the data and showed associations between repression and reactive aggression and CU traits, but no associations between an open and supportive living group climate and aggression and CU traits. Previous research in Dutch youth prisons did not find a relation between repression and aggression, buta relation between a positive living group climate and less aggression. These different findings may reflect differences in the German and Dutch prison system. Implications for practice are discussed.

The outcomes of relational therapies depend on the ability to create an open and cooperative alliance (task, bond, goal) between client and therapist. The present research investigated the influences of 17 weeks of arts therapies on the therapeutic alliance and symptom change for 164 adults with mental health problems using the Working Alliance Inventory-12 and the Brief Symptom Inventory. Results show that alliance scores increased over time during arts-therapies, and psychomotor therapy specifically for the task subscale. Furthermore, results show that there was a significant effect of the therapeutic alliance on symptom reduction (depression and anxiety) during treatment. Results indicate that participants who experienced the alliance as positive showed a higher decrease in depressive symptoms in the early phase and for anxiety symptoms in the later phase of the therapy. The present results give first implications of the role of the therapeutic alliance in arts-therapies and psychomotor therapy within adults with mental health needs. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The present study is a replication in Germany of a study originally performed in the Netherlands regarding the association between a positive living group climate and self-reported empathy in incarcerated adolescent male offenders (n = 49). A structural equation model was fitted to the data and showed a relation between a positive living group climate and increased empathy after six months. The discussion focuses on group dynamics in youth prisons. The present results open the way to further research into the importance of group processes in residential youth care. A positive living group climate could turn out to be an important factor contributing to the effectiveness of secure institutional treatment.