The Longitudinal Associations Between Motivation, Self-Regulatory Capacities, and Future-Oriented Cognition and Behavior Among Serious Young Offenders

Petrich, Damon M.
Liu, Hexuan
Nedelec, Joseph L.

School of Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati

This research relies on data collected during the Pathways to Desistance study. These data are publicly available and were downloaded from the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR 29961). The authors have no real or perceived conflicts of interest. Financial support for the original investigators was provided by the Arizona Governor’s Justice Commission, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, William Penn Foundation, and William T. Grant Foundation. Data from the Pathways to Desistance study have been used in a variety of prior studies to examine research questions related to adolescent psychosocial development, delinquency, and involvement with the juvenile justice system (see https://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/NAHDAP/studies/29961/publications). No financial support was provided for the preparation of the current article, and the results reported here have not previously been disseminated elsewhere.

Damon M. Petrich, School of Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati, P.O. Box 210389, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0389 [email protected]

Received November 18, 2019

revised July 10, 2020

Accepted July 14, 2020

Law & Human Behavior 44(5):p 424-436, October 2020. | DOI: 10.1037/lhb0000421

Objectives: The present study examined how changes in a set of motivational/self-regulatory factors were associated with subsequent change in future-oriented cognition and behavior. Hypotheses: We hypothesized that within-individual changes in aspirations, expectations, emotion regulation, resistance to peer influence, and impulse control would be positively associated with later change in future-oriented cognition and behavior. We also predicted that between-individual effects would be larger in magnitude than within-individual effects. Method: Serious young offenders (N = 1,318; M age = 16.04; 86% male) were followed over a 7-year period from adolescence to young adulthood during the Pathways to Desistance study. The analytical strategy incorporated both fixed and hybrid effects regression models to assess the time-ordered correlates of future-oriented cognition and behavior. Results: Net of controls, within-individual changes in aspirations and expectations about the future, emotion regulation, and impulse control had statistically significant, positive associations with subsequent change in future-oriented cognition and behavior; however, between-person effects were much larger in magnitude than within-individual effects. Conclusions: Motivation and aspects of self-regulation are potentially important targets for correctional treatment and prevention efforts. Future orientation is an intermediate treatment mechanism worthy of further study.