Examining the effect of solution-focused intervention program on adolescents' crime tendency

The main purpose of this study is to examine the effect of the intervention program developed in line with solution-focused brief therapy on the crime tendency of adolescents. To this end, the study was completed in 3 stages. In the first stage, a measurement tool was developed to evaluate the crime tendency of adolescents, and in the second stage, it was examined whether the adolescent crime tendency differed according to gender and age. In the final stage, the effectiveness of the intervention program was tested. In 3 different stages of the research, 6 different study groups consisting of 1606 adolescents continuing their education in Isparta province were used. Data were collected in line with the Adolescent Crime Tendency Scale that developed within the scope of the study and Antisocial Behavior Questionnaire and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. In the first stage, validity and reliability analyses of the Adolescent Crime Tendency Scale were conducted with the participation of 1214 adolescents. The scale has a 14-item, two-factor structure. The subscales are named as destructive behavior potential and risky perceptions and attitudes. In the second stage, crime tendency was examined by gender and age with a study group of 364 adolescents. Analyses used independent samples t-tests and one-way analysis of variance. The results indicate that adolescents' total crime tendency scores, destructive behavior potential, and risky perceptions and attitudes differ according to gender. This difference is in favor of males for all three measurements. In addition, adolescents' crime tendency and destructive behavior potential differ significantly according to age. Accordingly, 16-year-old adolescents have higher crime tendency and destructive behavior potential than 18-year-olds. In the final stage of the research, the intervention program that forms the basis of the study was prepared and implemented. For this purpose, 14 individuals from among 28 were randomly assigned to the experimental group and 14 to the control group. The Solution Focused Intervention Program consisting of 8 sessions was applied to the experimental group, and no intervention was applied to the control group. Data obtained from the pretest, posttest, and follow-up tests were analyzed using a two-factor ANOVA for repeated measures. According to the analyses, the scores of the adolescents in the experimental group regarding crime tendency, destructive behavior potential, and risky perception and attitude level showed a significant decrease compared to the control group. The pre-test, post-test, and follow-up test results of the experimental group show that the decrease in crime tendency scores occurred due to the Solution-Focused Intervention Program. As a result, it was determined that the Solution Focused Intervention Program was effective in reducing the crime tendency of adolescents.