Feasibility Trial of a Correctional Management for Juvenile Offenders

Recruitment rate will be defined as the proportion of eligible participants who provide informed consent to participate in the study. This will be calculated during the recruitment phase at baseline and reported as a percentage, reflecting the feasibility of enrolling participants into the intervention.

Retention rate will be defined as the proportion of participants who remain in the study and complete the post-intervention assessment. This outcome will be assessed from baseline to post-intervention (approximately 7-8 weeks) and reported as a percentage, indicating the ability to maintain participant involvement over time.

Participant adherence will be measured by session attendance, calculated as the number of sessions attended out of a total of 15 sessions. This may also be expressed as a percentage and will be assessed across the intervention period (7-8 weeks), providing an indication of participant engagement with the program.

Intervention fidelity will be evaluated using a structured fidelity checklist to assess the extent to which the intervention is delivered in accordance with the established protocol. Fidelity scores will be reported as a percentage, reflecting the consistency and quality of intervention delivery throughout the study period

Acceptability will be assessed at post-intervention using the Acceptability of Intervention Measure, a 4-item self-report scale rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (completely disagree) to 5 (completely agree), yielding a total score range of 4 to 20. Higher scores indicate greater perceived acceptability of the intervention.

Assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), a 25-item self-report measure of emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, peer problems, and prosocial behavior. Total Difficulties scores range from 0 to 40, with higher scores indicating greater emotional and behavioral problems.

Psychological capital will be assessed using the Anila Psychological Capital Scale, a 34-item self-report measure assessing resilience, hope, self-efficacy, and optimism. Each item is rated on a Likert scale, with total scores ranging from 34 to 170. Higher scores indicate greater psychological capital (i.e., a better outcome). Change from baseline will be evaluated from pre-intervention to post-intervention (approximately 7-8 weeks).

Criminal thinking styles will be assessed using the Juvenile Criminal Thinking Styles Inventory, a 52-item self-report measure comprising three subscales: Juvenile Social Alienation Scale (18 items), Juvenile Vindication Scale (19 items), and Juvenile Domination Scale (15 items). All items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Subscale scores range from 18 to 90 for social alienation, 19 to 95 for vindication, and 15 to 75 for domination, while the total score ranges from 52 to 260. Higher scores indicate greater levels of maladaptive criminal thinking (i.e., a worse outcome). Change from baseline will be assessed from pre-intervention to post-intervention (approximately 7-8 weeks).

Emotion regulation will be assessed using the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, a 10-item self-report measure comprising two independent subscales: Cognitive Reappraisal (6 items) and Expressive Suppression (4 items). Each item is rated on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). Subscale scores are calculated separately, with Cognitive Reappraisal scores ranging from 6 to 42 and Expressive Suppression scores ranging from 4 to 28. Higher scores on Cognitive Reappraisal indicate greater use of adaptive emotion regulation (i.e., a better outcome), whereas higher scores on Expressive Suppression indicate greater use of a less adaptive strategy (i.e., a worse outcome). Change from baseline will be evaluated from pre-intervention to post-intervention (approximately 7-8 weeks).

Moral disengagement will be assessed using the Moral Disengagement Scale for Adolescents, a 24-item self-report measure designed to assess cognitive mechanisms used to justify harmful behavior among adolescents. Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale with response options ranging from "Not at all agree" to "Always agree," yielding a total score range of 24 to 120. Higher scores indicate greater levels of moral disengagement (i.e., a worse outcome). Change from baseline will be assessed from pre-intervention to post-intervention (approximately 7-8 weeks).

The Inventory of Attitudes Toward Seeking Mental Health Services (IASMHS), developed by Mackenzie et al. (2004), is a 24-item self-report measure designed to assess attitudes toward seeking professional mental health services. The scale evaluates attitudes across three domains: Psychological Openness, Help-Seeking Propensity, and Indifference to Stigma. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (disagree) to 4 (agree). The total score ranges from 0 to 96. Each of the three subscales consists of 8 items and yields scores ranging from 0 to 32. Higher scores reflect more favorable attitudes toward seeking mental health services