Gender Differences in the Prevalence and Predictive Validity of Protective Factors in a Sample of Justice-Involved Youth

Abstract

Research on strengths and violent behavior in justice-involved youth suggests that the prevalence and predictive validity of strength factors vary as a function of gender. Interviews conducted between 2009 and 2012 with 185 justice-involved Canadian youth ( N female = 84, N male = 101; 67% violent index offence) were coded retrospectively using two strength measures for violence prediction: the protective domain of the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY), and the Structured Assessment of Protective Factors-Youth Version (SAPROF-YV). Males exhibited more protective factors than females across measures. Both tools were strong predictors of general recidivism in males but not females. The SAVRY protective domain was predictive of violent recidivism in males, but the SAPROF-YV was not; neither was predictive of violent recidivism in females. This study demonstrates gender differences in the prevalence and predictive validity of strengths in justice-involved youth and highlights the need for more female-focused research and measures.