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Psychological Trauma
Experiences of psychological trauma may be associated with delinquent behavior. A series of studies using quantitative research and qualitative research have observed that a disproportionate number of incarcerated juvenile delinquents have experienced Psychological Trauma, compared to peers in the community.undefined Psychological Trauma in juveniles has been shown to have a significant impact on healthy social and cognitive development, as well as altering biological processes in the brain.undefined Repeated or severe childhood trauma can have long term, even permanent effects on brain development.undefined In children who have suffered trauma, connections between neurons in many parts of the brain are poorly or improperly developed.undefined This can lead to impairments of the anterior cingulate cortex, which is important to our understanding and appreciation of how our actions affect others.undefined Without this understanding, trauma survivors have trouble relating to, and empathizing with others.undefined Also, childhood neglect and sexual abuse has been associated with a reduction in the size of the corpus callosum.undefined This reduction in size leads to difficulties with regulating emotion, as well as impairing reasoning abilities.undefined These issues are even more common in cases where the Psychological Trauma is recurring, or severe enough that the child is diagnosed as having Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD).undefined PTSD is a diagnosis that is reliably more prevalent in the juvenile justice system than in the community. Also, groups that have higher representation in juvenile detention facilities have the highest rates of PTSD diagnoses. Some researchers have proposed that the biological and brain development problems that are associated with PTSD are factors that contribute to why youths commit acts of delinquency.

Statistics
Rates of trauma exposure among juvenile delinquents are consistently high.undefined These high rates are steady regardless of the gender, race, or nationality of the statistical sample. Studies of the rate of psychological trauma among boys found that between 51.3% and 96% of the boys surveyed reported experiencing at least one traumatizing event. undefined

Overall rates of juvenile offending in the United States have been declining.undefined However, at the same time, rates of offending have risen among females.undefined In 2006, females were 15 % of the juveniles in correctional facilities.undefined Three different studies of incarcerated, female juveniles reported that between 75% and 84% had experienced at least one traumatizing event in their life. undefined In the United States, minorities are overrepresented in the juvenile justice system. In 2006, 486 out of every 100,000 juvenile, minorities was in a correctional facility.undefined Black juveniles had the highest rate of incarceration with 767 of 100,000 in state custody.undefined The rates were significantly lower for white youths. 170 out of every 100,000 white juveniles were in a juvenile correctional facility.undefined These detained minorities have also shown higher rates of trauma exposure. 89.9% of the Black juveniles and 86.2 % of Hispanic juveniles in a sample reported at least one incident of trauma.undefined 83.3% of White juveniles reported at least one traumatic incident.undefined

The association between trauma and delinquency can also be observed in delinquents in other countries. 76.5% of female juvenile delinquents in Japan reported one or more incidents of trauma.undefined Among male, Russian delinquents, 96% reported at least one experience of Psychological Trauma.undefined

Methods of Study and Criticisms
These research studies are done using standardized self-report inventories and standardized, structured interview methods which are used by experts. These methods are standardized according to methods and questionnaires outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. These processes provide researchers with their most efficient means of gathering data, but the system is not perfect. These methods of studying a sample rely completely on what the juvenile is willing or able to report. One study noted that it is possible that their results may have been skewed by the fact that a child could forget an incident of trauma that is too anxiety inducing to remember.undefined This is known as a repressed memory. Another study reported that its results were possibly underreported because the children were unwilling to admit to some incidents of psychological trauma.undefined The researchers of this study theorized that the boys who were surveyed and interviewed may have viewed reporting incidents of trauma as being weak, or that they were afraid of their peers learning what they had reported to researchers.{{sup|