Adolescents who have sexual behavior problems and their parents: how do those whose situation is not adjudicated differ?
Adolescents who commit reprehensible acts of a sexual nature do not all appear before the juvenile courts. A certain number of them are seen by a medical specialist or receive services under the Youth Protection Act. The objective of this study is to verify whether or not there exist differences on a number of points between adolescents who appear before the courts and those who do not. The sample is made up of 30 adolescent sex offenders who were seen in a specialized or family medical clinic as well as 17 adolescents who committed the same kind of act, but who came under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Parents were also asked to participate. Among those who volunteered, 20 are parents of adolescents who did not appear before the courts and six are parents of adolescents who did. Overall, the youth who participated in the study reported hardly any cognitive distortions, external attributions of blame, delinquent values or open conflicts with their parents. Those who received medical services and were not adjudicated have significantly more symptoms of depression, anxiety and dissociative disorders. Most of these adolescents have been seen in the past by one or more services. With respect to the parents, there is very little to distinguish between the two groups. All reported experiencing frequent conflicts within the family, but do not believe they have any major problems in terms of educative practices.