Evaluating the role of strengths and protective factors for youth with FASD and criminal legal system involvement: a scoping review

Youth with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) are overrepresented in the criminal legal system (CLS). There is greater recognition among scholars, policymakers, and professionals of the importance of strengths-based approaches for this population. The current scoping review (preregistered on the Center for Open Science; DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/6WAZE) aimed to determine what strengths and protective factors have been investigated for youth with FASD in the CLS, and how these have been identified, defined, and measured. Results identified an emerging body of literature of 16 peer reviewed articles. Strengths were often nested within deficit-based conversations and included individual (e.g. kindness), relational (e.g. caregiver support), and broader contextual level strengths (e.g. early diagnosis). To foster consistency, understanding, and better support this group, future research should purposefully incorporate strengths and protective factors into research and intervention frameworks and improve conceptual clarity when describing strengths and protective factors in this population.