Empathy and social-cognitive functioning in justice-involved adolescents: independent associations with recidivism
Psychology, Crime and Law, 2026 (SSCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1080/1068316x.2026.2711342
- Dergi Adı: Psychology, Crime and Law
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Criminal Justice Abstracts, EBSCO Legal Collection, EBSCO Legal Source, HeinOnline-Law Journal Library, Psycinfo, Criminal Justice Periodical Index, Social Sciences Abstracts, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Social Science Premium Collection (ProQuest), Criminology Collection (ProQuest), Health Research Premium Collection (ProQuest), Law Journal Library (HeinOnline), Legal Collection (EBSCO), Legal Source (EBSCO), Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection (EBSCO), Sociology Source Ultimate (EBSCO)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: empathy, forensic psychiatry, Justice-involved adolescents, recidivism, social cognition
- İstanbul Üniversitesi-Cerrahpaşa Adresli: Evet
Özet
Empathy deficits and social-cognitive impairments are widely implicated in adolescent offending, yet whether these processes are independently associated with recidivism beyond established structural and contextual risk factors remains unclear. This cross-sectional study examined empathy and social-cognitive functioning in relation to recidivism among 204 justice-involved adolescents (95.6% male; mean age 15.6 ± 1.1 years) undergoing forensic psychiatric evaluation in Turkey between January 2022 and July 2023. Empathy was assessed using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) and social-cognitive functioning with the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET). Recidivism (two or more documented offenses) occurred in 31.4% of participants. Univariate analyses showed tentatively lower perspective-taking scores among recidivists (IRI-PT: p =.047), whereas RMET and affective empathy did not differ. In multivariable logistic regression, neither empathy nor social-cognitive functioning was independently associated with recidivism. Instead, school dropout, lower paternal education, absence of parental cohabitation, younger age at first offense, family history of offending, and smoking were independently associated with recidivism. These findings suggest that recidivism is primarily associated with structural and behavioral risk factors, with empathy-related processes showing no independent association after adjustment. Prevention efforts should prioritize educational engagement, family stability, and behavioral risk reduction, though empathy-focused approaches require further study.