OBJECTIVE Beyond traditional in-person meetings, contemporary juvenile probation officers (JPOs) leverage modern technology to interact with youth via videoconferencing, phone calls, and text messaging. It is plausible that youth feel more-or less-supported by JPOs depending on the format of their interactions. Simultaneously, the procedural justice literature suggests that the quality of JPOs' interactions with youth may be as much or more influential on JPO-youth relationships than interaction format. Given that more positive supervisory relationships are associated with better probation outcomes, it is critical to understand what may shape youths' regard for JPOs. This study examined youths' perceived support from JPOs across four interaction formats. Then, this study examined how two supervisory experiences (interaction quality and frequency) were associated with youths' perceived support from JPOs through each interaction format. HYPOTHESES We hypothesized that youth would feel similarly supported by JPOs across all four interaction formats. Per procedural justice theory, we expected that youth who perceived better quality relationships with their JPO (i.e., more procedurally just) would be more likely to feel supported by JPOs across all interaction formats. Last, we hypothesized that youth interacted with JPOs more often digitally, rather than in person, would be more likely to feel supported. METHOD Youth (N = 529) on juvenile probation were surveyed to assess their probation experiences and perceptions of JPOs. RESULTS Youth felt similarly supported by JPOs across all four formats. Youth were more likely to feel supported the more often they interacted with JPOs and were much more likely to feel supported by JPOs they viewed as more procedurally just. CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that digital interactions are prevalent in juvenile probation supervision and well received by youth. Results highlight the potential of two supervisory practices that may help JPOs build better relationships with youth on probation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

中文翻译：

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面对面会面重要吗？检查青少年对少年缓刑的感知支持。


目的 除了传统的面对面会议外，当代少年缓刑官 （JPO） 还利用现代技术通过视频会议、电话和短信与青少年互动。青年或多或少地感受到 JPO 的支持，这取决于他们的互动形式，这是合理的。同时，程序正义文献表明，JPO 与青年互动的质量对 JPO 与青年关系的影响可能与互动形式一样大或更大。鉴于更积极的监督关系与更好的试用结果相关，了解什么可能影响青少年对 JPO 的尊重至关重要。本研究考察了青少年在四种互动形式中对 JPO 的感知支持。然后，本研究检查了两种监督体验（互动质量和频率）如何通过每种互动形式与青年感知到 JPO 的支持相关联。假设 我们假设在所有四种互动形式中，年轻人会感受到 JPO 的类似支持。根据程序正义理论，我们预计认为与 JPO 的关系质量更好（即在程序上更公正）的年轻人更有可能在所有互动形式中感受到 JPO 的支持。最后，我们假设年轻人更频繁地以数字方式而不是面对面与 JPO 互动，他们更有可能感受到支持。方法 对接受少年缓刑的青少年 （N = 529） 进行调查，以评估他们的缓刑经历和对 JPO 的看法。结果 在所有四种形式中，青年都感受到了 JPO 的类似支持。青年与 JPO 互动的次数越多，他们就越有可能感到受到支持，并且更有可能感受到他们认为在程序上更公正的 JPO 的支持。 结论 本研究提示数字互动在青少年缓刑监督中普遍存在，深受青少年欢迎。结果突出了两种监管做法的潜力，这些做法可能有助于 JPO 与试用期青少年建立更好的关系。（PsycInfo 数据库记录 （c） 2025 APA，保留所有权利）。