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Abstract
As adolescents become involved in the juvenile justice system their parents are often entangled, as well. Recently, efforts to incorporate family based treatments has shown positive outcomes among populations of juvenile offenders, however, further research is warranted to better understand the needs and characteristics of parents of juvenile offenders. The aims of this study are to construct distinct clusters based on juvenile self-report data from a measure of personality assessment (Behavior Assessment System for Children) then examine the self-reported data of parents (Juvenile Offender Parent Questionnaire) of individuals within each cluster. These findings could potentially allow clinicians to better understand the parental factors associated with distinct personality profile types of juvenile offenders and allow them better anticipate and address their needs. Within this sample (n=70), two distinct clusters emerged, a Well-Adapted group and an Elevated Symptoms cluster. Upon analyzing parent data of the individuals within these clusters, no significant results were found, though one factor, Exposure to Violence, did approach significance and was found to have a small to moderate effect size (p=.058, d=.47). Consistent with previous cluster analyses with forensic samples a cohort of normal or well-adapted individuals exists within populations of juvenile offenders as well as a group which tends to report greater experiences of psychological symptoms. The findings further underscore the complex nature of the parent-child relationship for individuals within the juvenile justice system and suggest further research is needed in order to better understand the needs and implications of continued incorporation of parents and family members in the rehabilitative efforts and services provided to adjudicated youth.