The Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences, Delinquency Involvement, and Child Welfare Interventions on Adult Criminal Behavior: A Latent Class Analysis

This study examines the differential impact of childhood pathways, characterized by varying levels of trauma and risk, on adult criminal behavior. Using a prospective cohort design, this research follows individuals with documented cases of childhood physical abuse and neglect, delinquency involvement, and recipients of child welfare interventions and a matched control group with no such history. The study employs latent class analysis (LCA) to identify distinct developmental childhood pathways and examines how these pathways correspond to adult criminal behavior. The findings help define four unique latent classes. These classes are the Safe and Compliant class consisting of individuals with minimal neglect, abuse, and delinquency involvement, with no formal interventions; the Neglected and Delinquent class, which experiences high neglect and some physical abuse, exhibits high delinquency and receives no formal interventions; the Harmed and Harming class which faces significant childhood adversity, engages in frequent delinquency, and has the highest levels of formal interventions; the Harmed and Helped class which also experiences high childhood adversity but has minimal delinquency involvement, with frequent formal interventions. The results from the bivariate analyses show that individuals in the Harmed and Harming and Neglected and Delinquent groups exhibited higher rates of both violent and nonviolent crime in adulthood. In contrast, those in the Harmed and Helped and Safe and Compliant groups had lower rates of criminal involvement in adulthood. By linking specific pathways to adult criminal outcomes, this research contributes to a broader literature on evidence-based strategies for childhood protection strategies.