DIFFERENCES OF SELF-SERVING COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS AND ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOURS BETWEEN INSTITUTIONALISED AND NONINSTITUTIONALISED YOUTH: PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION
Keywords:
anti-social behaviour, juvenile delinquency, self serving cognitive distortions, institutionalised adolescents.Abstract
Anti-social behaviours carried out by young individuals
represent an important issue currently faced by the modern
civilisation. Self-serving cognitive distortions are among the
essential factors that are associated with the development and
maintenance of anti-social behaviours. The present study aims to
examine if there are any differences regarding self-serving cognitive
distortions and anti-social behaviours between institutionalised and
non-institutionalised adolescents. The sample consisted of 96
adolescents (mean age = 16.05, SD = 1.21) from a high school
situated in Arad, Romania and 27 adolescents (mean age = 15.04,
SD = 1.74) from the Arad General Assistance and Child Protection
Service, Romania. The self-serving cognitive distortions and antisocial
behaviours were assessed with the “How I Think
Questionnaire†(HIT; Barriga et al., 2001), which was previouslyÂ
adapted for Romanian language usage (Demeter et al., 2018). The
preliminary data indicates that institutionalised adolescents express
higher levels of self-serving cognitive distortions and anti-social
behaviours than non-institutionalised adolescents. These are
discussed from the perspective of prevention programs addressing
the self-serving cognitive distortions in institutionalised
adolescents.
References
Barriga A.Q., Gibbs J.C., Potter G., & Liau A.K. (2001). How I Think (HIT)
Questionnaire Manual. Champaign, IL: Research Press.
Barriga A.Q., Landau J.R., Stinson B.L., Liau A.K., & Gibbs J.C.
(2000). Cognitive distortion and problem behaviors in adolescents.
Criminal Justice and Behavior, 27(1): 36-56.
Barriga A.Q., Morrison E.M., Liau A.K., & Gibbs J.C. (2001). Moral
Cognition: Explaining the Gender Difference in Antisocial
Behavior. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 47(4): 532-562.
Brugman, D., & Bink, M.D. (2011). Effects of the EQUIP peer intervention
program on self-serving cognitive distortions and recidivism among
delinquent male adolescents. Psychology, Crime & Law, 17(4): 345-
Demeter E., Balas-Timar D., Ionescu (Padurean) A., & Rusu A.S.
(2018). Romanian translation and linguistic validation of the how I think
questionnaire. In V. Chis & I. Albulescu (Eds.), The European
Proceedings of Social & Behavioural Sciences EpSBS Volume XLI
(pp. 241-248). Cluj Napoca, CJ: Future Academy.
Dodge K.A. (2011). Social information processing patterns as mediators of the
interaction between genetic factors and life experiences in the
development of aggressive behaviour. In M. Mikulncer & P.R. Shaver
(Eds.), Human aggression and violence: Causes, manifestations, and
consequences (pp. 165-185). Washington, DC: American
Psychological Association.
Draper A., & Hancock M. (2011). Childhood parental bereavement: The risk of
vulnerability to delinquency and factors that compromise resilience.
Mortality, 16(4): 285-306.
Gibbs J.C. (2003). Moral development and reality. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Gibbs J.C., Potter G.B., & Goldstein A.P. (1995). The EQUIP Program:
Teaching youth to think and act responsibly through a peer helping
approach. Champaign, IL: Research Press.
Hutchinson R.L., Valutis W.E., Brown D.T., White J.S. (1989). The
Effects of Family Structure on Institutionalized Children’s Self-
Concepts. Adolescence, 24(94): 303-310.
Luna M., Luna M.T., & Brizuela M.S. (2011). Institutionalised childhood
and adolescence: making serious Human Rights violations visible.
Series: Publications on children without parental care in Latin
America: Contexts, causes and answers. Montevideo: A Relaf
Project (Red Latinoamericana de Acogimiento Familiar).
Luszczynska A., & Schwarzer R. (2005). Social Cognitive Theory. In M.
Conner & P. Norman (Eds.), Predicting Health Behaviour (2nd
edition) (pp. 127-169). Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Maccoby E.E. (2000). Parenting and its effects on children: On reading and
misreading behavior genetics. Annual Review of Psychology, 51: 1–
Marica M.A. (2007). Introducere în problematica delincvenei juvenile.
Constana: Ovidius University Press.
McConnell D., Breitkreuz R., & Savage A. (2011). From financial
hardship to child difficulties: main and moderating effects of
perceived social support. Child Care Health Dev., 37(5): 679-691.
Millie A. (2009). Anti-Social Behaviour. London: Open University Press.
Moitra T. & Mukherjee I. (2010). Does parenting behaviour impacts
delinquency? A comparative study of delinquents and
nondelinquents. Official Journal of the South Asian Society of
Criminology and Victimology (SASCV), 5(2): 274 – 285.
Myers D.G. (2015). Exploring Social Psychology (7th Edition). New York,
NY: McGraw Hill Education.
Nas C.N., Brugman D., & Koops W. (2008). Measuring Self-Serving
Cognitive Distortions with the “How I Think†Questionnaire.
European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 24(3): 181–189.
Ojo M.O.D. (2012). A Sociological Review of Issues on Juveline
Delinquency. Journal of International Social Research, 5(21): 468-
Patterson G.R., Forgatch M.S., Yoerger K., & Stoolmiller M. (1998).
Variables that initiate and maintain an early-onset trajectory for
juvenile offending. Development and Psychopathology, 10(3): 531-
Shoemaker J.D. (2009). Juvenile Delinquency. Maryland, MD: Rowman &
Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Shoemaker J.D. (2010). Theories of Delinquency: An Examination of
Explanations of Delinquent Behavior (6th Edition). Oxford:
Oxford University Press.
Skovlund E., & Fenstad G.U. (2001). Should we always choose a
nonparametric test when comparing two apparently nonnormal
distributions? J Clin Epidemiol., 54(1): 86-92.
Statistics How To. (n.d.). Non Normal Distribution. Retrieved from
https://www.statisticshowto.datasciencecentral.com/probability- andstatistics/
non-normal-distributions/ on 12 October 2018.
Steinberg L. (2008). Adolescence (8th edition). New York, NY: McGraw-
Hill.
Wallinius M., Johansson P., Lardén M., & Dernevik M. (2011). Self-
Serving Cognitive Distortions and Antisocial Behavior Among Adults
and Adolescents. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 38(3): 286-301.
Zimring F. E. (1981). Kids, groups and crime: Some implications of a wellknown
secret. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 72(3): 867-
