An Exploration of Risk and Protective Characteristics of Violent Youth Offenders in Singapore across Adolescent Developmental Stages

Abstract

The risk and protective factors in a sample of 224 Singaporean youths who have engaged in violence are investigated using the SAVRY the VRS-YV, and the SAPROF-YV. Youths in the early and middle stages of adolescence exhibited more risk factors and fewer protective factors than late stage adolescents. This may be due to cultural and societal influences as well as maturation processes which guide the development of risk and protective factors over the course of adolescence. These findings highlight the importance of developing treatment programs for violent youth that are developmentally matched and which address specific areas of need.

Keywords:

• violence risk assessment
• adolescents
• SAVRY
• VRS-YV
• SAPROF-YV

Notes

1 Note: the ‘community disorganization’ item on the SAVRY and the ‘community stability’ item on the VRS-YV were not rated due to insufficient file information in many of the files. Scores were pro-rated in accordance with the instructions of the manual.