Relationships and the Self-Efficacy of Youth on Probation

Justice involved youth are an extremely important and vulnerable population. This alone makes understanding the systems they interact with even more vital due to the power those systems may have in the development of youth’s lives. Research suggests that social relationships impact youth development (Bronfenbrenner, 1977), including for justice-involved youth (Drake et al., 2014). However, gaps in literature exist in assessing multiple adult relationships for youth and measuring self-efficacy rather than probational success. The current study addresses these gaps in the literature with a sample of youth on probation (N = 889). Data came from two sources: self-report surveys from youth and official record data from the jurisdiction’s risk/needs assessment tools. Paired t-tests were administered to test the comparative levels of support between youth and the adults in their lives. It was found that youth and probation officer support had the strongest correlation. Then, linear regressions were utilized to assess relationship quality and youth self-efficacy. It was found that probation officer relationship quality was strongest in correlating to youth self-efficacy. Multiple regressions were also administered to analyze the moderation impact of probationary officer relationship quality and school employee relationship quality in relation to parent relationship quality. No statistically significant results were found. Findings suggest the importance of proximal relationships to youth and the critical importance of the probationary officer relationship to youth who are on probation.