2026/05/11 by Colinda Serie, Stefaan Pleysier, Corine de Ruiter +2 · 1 voice
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression #Psychosocial Factors Impacting Youth #Resilience and Mental Health
paper · doi:10.1080/1068316x.2026.2667199
openalex publication_date 2026/05/11 · openalex created_date 2026/05/12 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/04
Detained juvenile delinquents frequently display both externalizing and internalizing problems, increasing their recidivism risk while undermining treatment motivation and well-being. The Good Lives Model (GLM) proposes rehabilitation that both lowers recidivism risk and enhances well-being, by promoting prosocial fulfillment of universal human needs (‘primary goods’). The GLM assumes that attaining primary goods improves treatment motivation and promotes more sustainable desistance from offending. We examined the associations between changes in self-reported primary goods satisfaction, well-being, treatment motivation, externalizing and internalizing psychopathology, and recidivism risk in 62 Flemish and Dutch adolescent boys (ages 14–18) over time during detention. Findings partly support the GLM’s assumptions: improvement in primary goods satisfaction was associated with improved well-being over time, and higher well-being was related to lower recidivism risk. Higher treatment motivation predicted reduced recidivism risk. However, path analyses did not support the GLM’s assumptions: neither changes in primary goods satisfaction nor changes in well-being predicted treatment motivation or recidivism risk reduction. No effects of internalizing or externalizing psychopathology were found. While treatment motivation appears crucial for lowering recidivism risk, in our study it was not predicted by changes in primary goods satisfaction or well-being. More research is needed to understand the factors affecting treatment motivation.