The dynamic change between delayed gratification and coping, and between life satisfaction and perceived stress among young offenders in a residential therapeutic community : two latent difference scores analyses

Abstract

Recent rehabilitation frameworks underscore the importance of strength-based interventions. The present multi-wave longitudinal research investigated the change between life satisfaction and perceived stress as well as between delayed gratification and stress coping among a group of young ex-offenders in a residential therapeutic community that adopted a capacities-building approach. Over a one-year period, four waves of data were collected from 111 youths, many of whom were convicted for drug-related crimes. Latent change score analysis was employed to examined the univairate and bivariate changes of these variables. Results of study 1 suggested a positive change in life satisfaction and perceived stress over time. Moreover, bivariate models indicated that life satisfaction is negatively linked to the subsequent perceived stress level. The findings preliminarily supported that life satisfaction may mitigate perceived stress in young ex-offenders, many of whom may lack internal and external resources to plan their life and manage their stress. Study 2 suggested that youth residents exhibited more gratification delay, problem-solving, and accommodation, and less behavioral disengagement. In addition, bivariate latent change score models indicated a bidirectional relationship between delayed gratification and problem-solving as well as between delayed gratification accommodation; a youth’s level of delayed gratification was associated with the prior level of problem-solving or accommodation, and vice versa. The results preliminarily suggest that the change in one domain would influence the other. The current findings have implications for better understanding the change trajectories of young offenders in rehabilitation and related interventions.