Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Emotional Management Programme for Male Adolescent Offenders in Custody
| Published date | 01 December 2024 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/14732254231223645 |
| Author | Kristie Dellar |
| Date | 01 December 2024 |
| Subject Matter | Original Articles |
https://doi.org/10.1177/14732254231223645
Youth Justice
2024, Vol. 24(3) 392 –408
© The Author(s) 2024
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DOI: 10.1177/14732254231223645
journals.sagepub.com/home/yjj
Evaluating the Effectiveness of the
Emotional Management Programme
for Male Adolescent Offenders in
Custody
Kristie Dellar
Abstract
This mixed-methods study examines the effectiveness of the emotional management (EM) programme for
male juvenile offenders in custody. EM is a 10-session cognitive-behavioural, skills-based group programme
designed to target a range of general criminogenic needs. Paired group analyses were completed to examine
the differences in pre- and post-programme scores for the total sample (N = 110) and results were separated
into programme completers (n = 96), non-completers (n = 14) and Indigenous youth (n = 75). Consistent
with expectations, the results showed statistically significant improvements in emotional regulation and
statistically significant decreases in overall levels of aggressive thoughts and behaviours for programme
completers and for Indigenous youth in our sample. Contrary to expectations, the results also indicated
that programme non-completers showed improvements across the outcome measures, although these did
not reach statistical significance. Qualitative analysis of participant programme feedback further supported
the quantitative results and highlighted the importance of the therapeutic alliance, programme facilitation
style and delivery. The findings contribute to the ‘what works’ research base on risk reduction approaches
for youth offenders and provide insights into programme and process factors that improve the likelihood
of positive treatment outcomes. Suggestions for programme improvements and future research directions
are discussed.
Keywords
effectiveness, emotional management, indigenous, intervention, juvenile, offenders, programme
According to the age–crime curve, adolescents and young adults are more likely to engage
in offending and delinquent behaviour than any other age group (Farrington et al., 2008).
In Australia, the rate of youth offending has consistently been higher than that of adult
offending, with youth aged between 15 and 19 years committing the highest rates of crime
Corresponding author:
Kristie Dellar, Department of Justice, Government of Western Australia, 3 Walcott Street, Mount Lawley, WA 6050,
Australia.
Email: Kristie.Dellar@justice.wa.gov.au
1223645YJJ0010.1177/14732254231223645Youth JusticeDellar
research-article2024
Original Article
Dellar 393
compared to any other age group (Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), 2021). There are
ongoing debates in the media about the ‘youth crime crisis’ in Australia and considerable
attention continues to be given to the issues of how to manage young offenders. Despite
the concerns highlighted in recent media coverage, research shows that over the past dec-
ade, rates of youth crime have decreased across most Australian jurisdictions, with the
rate of police proceedings against young people declining 36 per cent (Clancey et al.,
2020). Although youth crime rates have declined over the past decade, there are still enor-
mous economic and victim-related costs associated with youth crime (Viljoen et al.,
2016). It is therefore imperative to invest in best practice, evidence-based approaches to
prevention and intervention strategies for youth offenders.
Effective emotional management (EM) is essential for social functioning and psycho-
logical well-being (McLaughlin et al., 2011). Emotion regulation has been defined as ‘the
extrinsic and intrinsic processes responsible for monitoring, evaluating, and modifying
emotional reactions, especially their intensive and temporal features, to accomplish one’s
goals’ (Thompson, 1994: 27). Individual differences in the ability to identify and under-
stand one’s own emotions, the emotions of others and the causes and consequences of
different emotions, as well as the types of strategies used to manage and regulate emo-
tions, are evident by early childhood (McLaughlin et al., 2011). Emotional dysregulation
in adolescence has been consistently associated in the development and maintenance of
youth psychopathology, including aggressive and violent behaviour, and involvement in
the criminal justice system (Armytage and Ogloff, 2017; McLaughlin et al., 2011; Rawana
et al., 2014). Conversely, research has found that adolescents with better emotion regula-
tion skills are more socially competent, have higher peer status and better quality relation-
ships, engage in higher levels of prosocial behaviour and are more resilient and higher
academic achievement (Kemp et al., 2017; McLaughlin et al., 2011; Rawana et al., 2014).
Integrative reviews of the literature have identified numerous environmental and indi-
vidual factors that play a role in emotional dysregulation and associated aggressive out-
comes (Roberton et al., 2012). Risk factors that have been shown to be amenable to
treatment (dynamic factors) include pro-aggression/violence beliefs and attitudes, impulse
control, hostile attribution bias, hyperactivity, poor problem-solving, persistent anger,
poor social skills, risk-taking and sensation seeking behaviour and lack of appropriate
emotion regulation strategies (Armytage and Ogloff, 2017; Roberton et al., 2012).
Impulsiveness and negative affectivity (anger, guilt, nervousness and fear) are risk factors
consistently identified in young offenders that impair self-regulatory capacity and con-
tribute to the onset and maintenance of offending and antisocial behaviour (Armytage and
Ogloff, 2017; Douglas and Skeem, 2005). This is supported by research into the neurobio-
logical underpinnings of antisocial behaviour that have indicated self-regulation, social
connectivity and distorted cognitive processing are often impaired in young offenders
(Day and Kearney, 2016).
Reflecting the mounting recognition of these factors that increase the risk for offend-
ing, programmes to address antisocial behaviour among justice-involved youth are
increasingly tailored to address these risk factors, to reduce recidivism and encourage
desistence (Armytage and Ogloff, 2017). Several systematic reviews, meta-analyses and
research syntheses have identified key features of effective programmes to address these
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