Silence Promotes Change in Consideration of Future Consequences: A Mixed Methods Study of High-risk Youth

Abstract

The ability and tendency to consider future consequences is associated with reduced alcohol, tobacco, and drug consumption (Adams & Nettle, 2009; Keough et al., 2009), increased self-control and decreased impulsivity (Jorieman et al., 2003), as well as decreased youth delinquency (Cauffman et al., 2005; Modecki, 2008). Practices of silence or solitude is found to be to be associated with fewer psychosocial adjustment problems and internalizing symptoms (Galanaki, 2013; Larson, 1997) and has strong impact on one’s social life (Long & Avril, 2003). In Christian Zheng Sheng College, a residential therapeutic community for high-risk youths in Hong Kong, prolonged silence is the most common form of punishment upon rule violation. We present a mixed methods study that explored and examined the process and influence of prolonged silence in this context. In-depth qualitative interviews with 19 students (63.2% male, mean age = 18.0) revealed that prolonged solitude facilitated other-focused reflections, and in turn increased their sense of personal responsibility, social- and familial-engagements, positive life attitudes, and, our key outcome variable, consideration of future consequences. A two-wave prospective questionnaire study (n = 79, 82.3% male, mean age = 17.4) over four months further demonstrated the increase in consideration of future consequences at Time 2 was predicted by perceived meaningfulness of punishment at Time 1. We found that the form of punishment was a moderator; in silence, meaningfulness of the punishment predicted an increase in consideration of future consequences, but not in other forms of punishment. This study preliminarily demonstrated the beneficial influence of silence/solitude to positive youth development among high-risk youth.