The Effectiveness of a Dutch Program in Preventing Criminal Exploitation

Knowledge of criminal exploitation will be assessed using six questions. First, participants are asked: 'Do you know what criminal exploitation is?' Those who respond with 'yes' or 'a little' are then invited to describe, in their own words, what it entails. In addition, a multiple-choice question asks participants to select the definition that best fits criminal exploitation. A subsequent item asks: 'How well do you think you can recognize signs of criminal exploitation?' Another question assesses whether participants know someone who has been asked to engage in criminal activity, and, if so, how they recognized this.

Attitudes will be measured using a questionnaire adapted from the Attitude Towards Delinquent Behaviour Questionnaire (ATDS; Menard & Huizinga, 1994). Nine items will be rated on a 4-point Likert scale, with response options ranging from 'not wrong at all' to 'very wrong.' An example item is: 'What do you think about someone your age stealing something worth more than 50 euros?. Empathy towards peers will be measured using three statements (e.g., 'I feel sorry for classmates who are treated unfairly').

Will be measured using the 12-item Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) (Zimet et al., 1990).

Participants rate statements such as "I have a special person who is a real source of comfort to me" and "I can talk about my problems with my family" on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = very strongly disagree to 5 = very strongly agree).

Higher scores indicate greater levels of experienced support. And a question that assesses whether they know where to find help, either for themselves or for a peer who may be at risk of criminal exploitation.

will be measured using the externalizing behavior and delinquency subscales of the Youth Self-Report (YSR) (Verhulst & Van der Ende, 1992). The instrument focuses on various externalizing behaviors, including aggression and delinquent behavior. The YSR includes items such as "I fight a lot", which are rated on a 3-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (never) to 2 (often). Higher scores on the YSR externalizing subscale indicate greater levels of externalizing behavior.

will be assessed through a questionnaire covering demographic information, including age, gender, ethnic identity, family composition, and financial situation (e.g., "Do you worry whether there is enough money at home?").

will be assessed using statements based on the Parental Monitoring Questionnaire (Stattin & Kerr, 2000) containing three subscales: parental control, parental solicitation, and parental disclosure. Parental control contains five item, indicating the extent to which parents seek to regulate their child's behavior by requiring permission for leisure activities. Parental solicitation (five items) captures the degree to which parents proactively seek information about their child's leisure activities. Parental disclosure (5 items) reflects how openly juveniles voluntarily share such information with their parents. All items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale 1 (never) to 5 (always). Parental responsivity will be assessed using the eight-item Responsivity subscale of the Nijmegen Parenting Questionnaire (Gerris, 1993).

Items are rated on a 6-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 6 (strongly agree).

will be measured using the Deviant Peers Scale from the Basic Questionnaire on Peer Relationships (Weerman & Smeenk, 2005). The five -items questionnaire assesses the extent to which juveniles have deviant friends. (e.g., ''How many of your friends have robbed someone by threatening with a weapon or violence, or by using violence?'').

Responses are given on a four-point scale (none, some, most, all). Internal consistency in previous studies was high.

Higher scores on this scale indicate that juveniles have more deviant friends.

will be measured using a short questionnaire that has also been used in the study of Tollenaar and colleagues (Tollenaar et al., 2024). This questionnaire asks about various issues pupils may have experienced in the past six months (e.g., family problems, financial problems, or mental health issues). Respondents can indicate whether they have had any of these problems and, if so, whether they sought help and from whom (e.g., social worker, youth services, school mentor, or parents). Responses are given as yes/no options for each category, and additional openended fields allow participants to specify other sources of help or problems they experienced.

will be measured using an adapted version the Family, Friends, and Self (FSS) questionnaire (Simpson & McBride, 1992). The questionnaire contains five items (e.g., "How did your schoolwork go last week?"). Responses are given on a five-point scale ranging from 1 (really bad) to 5 (really good), with higher scores indicating better school performance.

The internal consistency is good (α = .79) (Duari & Mohapatra, 2021; Simpson & McBride, 1992). Participants are also asked whom they can ask for help with their homework and whether they skip school.

will be assessed using a questionnaire based on the Dutch Monitor of Self-Reported Delinquency (Tollenaar et al., 2024). Participants answered two questions about where they usually spend their time after school on weekdays (Monday to Thursday) and during the weekend (Friday to Sunday). Eleven response options were provided, allowing multiple answers. Examples include going out with parents; attending a sports club; being at friends' homes; hanging out on the street with friends; or never going out/mostly staying at home.