Symposia
Anger
Raymond Chip Tafrate, Ph.D. (he/him/his)
Central Connecticut State University
West Hartford, Connecticut
Natalie Jones, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)
Research Manager
Public Safety Canada
Gatineau, Quebec, Canada
As a clinical problem, anger does not have a conceptual home. It has not been considered either a traditional psychological disorder (not pure anger disorders exist) or a criminogenic risk/need (not typically assessed as a primary factor influencing criminal behavior). The present study explores the relevance of several anger dimensions (internalizing, externalizing, and vengeance) as predictors of rearrest in youth.
A sample of 1,543 youth on probation was assessed with the Prospective Risk Evaluation for Delinquency in Connecticut (PrediCT), with rearrest data for a new offense available over a 12-month follow-up. The PrediCT is a 44-item validated risk/needs tool that provides scores in six life areas: Criminal History, Substance Use, Antisociality, Family Distress, Academic Disengagement, and Mental Health. Based on a validation sample, the PrediCT demonstrates strong predictive accuracy over a 12-month follow-up period for general reoffending (AUC = .75, p < .001).
The sample was heterogeneous with respect to race/ethnicity (Black 37%, Latino 34%, and white 28%) and gender (24% girls; 76% boys), with an age range of 11 to 19 years. The rearrest rate over 12-months was 44%. Of the three anger dimensions, externalizing anger had the strongest association with rearrest (OR ≈ 4.20); specifically, those who recidivated were approximately four times more likely to score high on this item. Regarding overall patterns of prediction, criminal history items had the strongest relationship with rearrest (OR ≈ 4.75). Externalizing anger performed similarly to other dynamic risk factors such as antisocial peer influence, defiance of authority, poor parental control, lack of empathy, poor coping, marijuana use, and impulsiveness. Vengeance emerged only as a moderate predictor of rearrest and both internalizing anger and mental health items were poor predictors of recidivism. Some patterns of prediction varied for younger versus older youth, and across gender and race/ethnicity.
Externalizing anger emerged as a strong predictor of rearrest in youth, commensurate with items measuring traditional dynamic criminal risk factors. Accordingly, externalizing anger problems should be considered a critical intervention target for reducing future justice-involvement in youth. These data suggest that treatment programs might want to assess and address externalizing anger to improve the behavioral trajectories of younger justice-involved clients.