The association between patterns of family functioning and ego development of the juvenile offender

The present study revealed an association between the family configurations of cohesion and adaptability and juvenile offenders' level of ego development. This association was explained by four post hoc comparisons which revealed that functional perspectives of family cohesion and adaptability by the juvenile offender and one or both parents were associated with higher levels of ego development. Lower levels of ego development were associated with (a) shared dysfunctional perspectives of the family dimensions by the juvenile offender and both parents, and (b) a functional perspective of the family dimensions by the juvenile offender which was not shared by either parent. These results were based on 61 nonchronic juvenile offenders and their parents who were assessed by the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales II. The offenders' level of ego development was assessed by the Washington University Sentence Completion Test.