Emotional and Behavioural Problems of Young Offenders in Singapore Findings from the EPYC Study

This book presents the findings from the Enhancing Positive Outcomes in Youth and the Community (EPYC) study. EPYC is a ground-breaking nationwide 10-year longitudinal study on young offenders in Singapore. It focuses on understanding crime prevention, rehabilitation, and reintegration of these youths. Data were collected through yearly interviews, external assessments, and linkage of administrative records to provide a comprehensive picture of participants. In addition, a non-offender youth sample was included as a normative comparison sample. The research and findings of this book focus on:

• Prevalence rates and comorbidity of Emotional and Behavioural Problems (EBPs) in young offenders
• Drug use and Re-offending
• Risk and Protective Factors for EBPs

Chapter 1- Introduction 

This chapter reviews studies on mental health of young offenders in both Asian and western countries. It highlights the need for large-scale nationwide longitudinal data. It also presents an introduction to the EPYC project, including the methodology and the samples used. 

Chapter 2- Prevalence of mental health symptoms: a comparison among informants

This chapter presents the prevalence rates of different mental health disorders and changes in the rates over three years. The discrepancies between official records, young offender self-reports, caregiver reports are discussed. Comparison with secondary school students are presented using baseline data. 

Chapter 3 – Individual and social correlates of mental health symptoms: within and between individual effects

This chapter examines the correlates of mental health symptoms of young offenders at the individual level (such as personality, executive functioning) and social level (such as parental and peer relationships). The association between changes of the correlates and changes in mental health are also explored to test within and between individual effects. 

Chapter 4 - Trajectories of Depression: the role of ACE and protective assets

This chapter focuses on one of the highly prevalent mental health problems: depression.  We examine the change in patterns of depression, and how adverse life experiences affect young offenders’ depression. In addition, the protective assets that mitigate such effects are also studied. Age and gender effects are explored in these relationships. 

Chapter 5 – Substance abuse and mental health problems: testing the association and directionality

This chapter examines the relationship between substance abuse and mental health problems and tests for the direction of effects. Substance abuse and mental health symptoms co-occur for various reasons. However, it is not clear whether substance abuse is used to cope with mental health problems (the self-medication theory) or whether substance abuse leads to mental health problems. This is investigated.

Chapter 6 –Mental health and its association with criminal recidivism

This chapter studies whether mental health symptoms measured at baseline are predictive of the youths’ re-offending. The predictive validity of mental health symptoms on recidivism is examined while controlling for YLS/CMI factors. 

Chapter 7 –Conclusion 

Dongdong Li, is the Principal Research Specialist at the Translational Social Research Division, the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) in Singapore. Her research involves the study of child protection issues and young offender rehabilitation, such as the predictors and outcomes of involvement in child protection services, effects of childhood maltreatment and the cycle of violence. She has extensive experience in research activities in both academic and government settings in Singapore. She played an instrumental role in several longitudinal studies and has contributed extensively to many international journals, books, and government publications. 

David P. Farrington, O.B.E., is Emeritus Professor of Psychological Criminology at Cambridge University. He has received the Stockholm Prize in Criminology and he has been President of the American Society of Criminology. His major research interest is in developmental criminology, and he is Co-Director of the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development, which is a prospective longitudinal survey of over 400 London males from age 8 to age 61. In addition to 920 published journal articles and book chapters on criminological and psychological topics, he has published 134 books, monographs, and government publications, and 164 shorter publications (total = 1,218).