Characteristics of Emotion and Cognition in Adolescent Delinquent Behavior

Hong, Sungdo; Lee, Joo Young; Kim, Ji Hae

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The purpose of present study was to explore characteristics of emotion and cognition in adolescent delinquency.
METHODS
Four-hundred-seventy-six adolescents participated to fill out the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS), the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), Children's Fear Survey Schedule-Revised (FCSS-R), the Latent Delinquency Questionnaire (LDQ), the Children's Automatic Thoughts Scale (CATS), the Negative Affect Self Statement Questionnaire (NASSQ), the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire-Negative & Positive (ATQ-N, P), and the Rosenberg's Self Esteem Scale.
RESULTS
Adolescent delinquency was positively correlated with anxiety and depression, negatively correlated with fear. Multiple regression analysis showed that depression, fear and the automatic thought for physical threat were significant predicting variables for adolescent delinquency.
CONCLUSION
From our results it was inferred that adolescent delinquency is correlated with emotional discomfort, especially in male adolescents. And fear could suppress delinquent behaviors. From the results of this study the direction of future study was discussed.