The Role of Social Problem Solving, Criminal Attitude, and ADHD in Aggression Among Incarcerated Youth in Hong Kong

• DOI: 10.1177/0306624X19881931
• Published date: 01 March 2020
• Author: S. W. Hung,Jonathan S. F. Lau,Eva Y. W. Kwong
• Date: 01 March 2020
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X19881931

International Journal of

Offender Therapy and

Comparative Criminology

2020, Vol. 64(4) 396 –416

© The Author(s) 2019

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DOI: 10.1177/0306624X19881931

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Article

The Role of Social Problem

Solving, Criminal Attitude,

and ADHD in Aggression

Among Incarcerated Youth

in Hong Kong

Jonathan S. F. Lau1, S. W. Hung1,

and Eva Y. W. Kwong1

Abstract

It is not atypical for young offenders to use aggression to handle problems. This

exploratory study examined the contribution of social problem-solving deficit,

criminal attitude, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms

to aggression among incarcerated young offenders in Hong Kong. Correlational

and regression analyses were conducted to identify factors that help to predict

aggression. To control for the influence of ADHD symptoms, hierarchical regression

analysis was conducted to reexamine the contribution of the identified factors. The

results showed that negative problem orientation (NPO) and contemptuous attitudes

toward the law, court, and police (LCP) helped to predict aggression at the current

moment and 3 months later. After controlling for ADHD symptoms, only LCP but

not NPO remained a significant predictor of both current and near-future aggression.

This finding suggests that the contribution of criminal attitude to aggression tends

to be independent of the effects of ADHD and social problem-solving deficit. We

conclude by discussing the theoretical and practical implications of conceptualizing

aggression and improving psychological services for young offenders.

Keywords

aggression, problem solving, criminal attitude, ADHD, youth, offender

1Hong Kong Correctional Services, Wanchai Tower, 12 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

Corresponding Author:

Eva Y. W. Kwong, Psychological Services Section 2, Hong Kong Correctional Services, 27/F, Wanchai

Tower, 12 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong.

Email: kwong_yw@csd.gov.hk

881931IJOXXX10.1177/0306624X19881931International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative CriminologyLau et al.

research-article2019

Lau et al. 397

Introduction

According to a report on the global status of aggression published by the World

Health Organization (2015), approximately 200,000 young people aged 10 to 29

years are murdered each year, and many more suffer serious injuries that require hos-

pitalization and long-term medical/psychological care. The report also noted that

among the deaths due to youth violence, more than 80% were male, and both perpe-

trators and victims were found to have a long history of involvement in violence,

suggesting that a significant portion of the victims of violence were also perpetrators.

Consistently, young males are statistically shown to be at a greater risk of committing

violent crimes in Hong Kong. Based on the official data from 2013 to 2016 obtained

through the Integrated Law and Order Statistical System, for the adult incarcerated

population, the proportion of admissions due to violent crimes was 6.6% on average,

whereas this percentage among the young incarcerated population was 15.0%, that is,

more than twice that of the adult incarcerated population. The present study attempts

to deepen our understanding of the psychological mechanisms of aggression among

a high-risk population in a Chinese community: young male offenders in Hong Kong.

Three psychological factors that potentially contribute to aggression, namely, social

problem-solving deficit, criminal attitude, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disor-

der (ADHD), are identified for investigation based on the social information-process-

ing (SIP) model.

SIP is a Western theory developed to explain the psychological process underlying

human aggression. Crick and Dodge (1994) proposed that, to engage in social interac-

tion, an individual needs to undertake a sequence of steps, including the perception

and encoding of cues, interpretation of encoded cues, goal identification, a search for

behavioral response, and evaluation of the response. Biases or deficits at any of the

stages may lead to impairment in social problem solving. Social problem solving

refers to a self-directed cognitive–behavioral process through which an individual

attempts to identify an adaptive solution for problems encountered in daily living

(D’Zurilla & Nezu, 1999). The association between social problem-solving deficit and

aggression is significant in children and adolescents (Lochman & Dodge, 1994;

Loeber & Dishion, 1984). McMurran, Blair, and Egan (2002) found that social prob-

lem-solving deficit contributed to aggression and mediated the relationship between

impulsivity and aggression in a sample of 70 British university students.

Regarding the relationship between specific problem-solving styles and aggres-

sion, D’Zurilla, Chang, and Sanna (2003) found that, in a sample of 205 college stu-

dents, social problem-solving deficit as a whole contributed to aggression, and all

dimensions of social problem solving were related to at least one aspect of aggression,

namely, physical aggression, anger, and hostility. The two constructive dimensions,

positive problem orientation (PPO) and rational problem solving (RPS), were related

to decreased aggression, whereas the three dysfunctional dimensions, negative prob-

lem orientation (NPO), impulsivity/carelessness style (ICS), and avoidance style (AS),

were related to increased aggression. Furthermore, from a study involving 117 high

school students, Jaffee and D’Zurilla (2003) identified that only AS and NPO but no