Temperament Subtypes and Psychopathology Among Clinically Referred Juvenile Offenders

To identify temperament-based subtypes and psychopathological profiles among court-referred juvenile offenders to inform individualized assessment and intervention strategies.

Seventy-two offenders were assessed using junior temperament and character inventory (JTCI) (novelty seeking, harm avoidance, and reward dependence). Subtypes were identified via two-step cluster analysis and compared using Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent-Restructured Form (MMPI-A-RF) scores.

Three stable subgroups emerged: relationship-dependent conformist (Cluster 1; 25.0%), isolated internalizing risk (Cluster 2; 38.9%), and impulsive externalizing risk (Cluster 3; 36.1%). Cluster 1 showed minimal psychopathology. Clusters 2 and 3 both exhibited elevated psychopathology relative to Cluster 1, including comparable elevations in thought dysfunction and ideas of persecution. However, the two high-risk clusters differed in their relative profiles: Cluster 2 showed higher social withdrawal (elevated introversion/low positive emotionality), whereas Cluster 3 demonstrated relatively greater behavioral disinhibition, reflected in elevated behavioral/externalizing dysfunction, antisocial behavior, and disconstraint.

Temperament-based subtyping reveals clinically meaningful heterogeneity even among offenders with similar levels of distress. Integrating JTCI and MMPI-A-RF enhances assessment precision and supports tailored forensic interventions.