TY - JOUR
T1 - Mental health and incarcerated youth. I
T2 - Prevalence and nature of psychopathology
AU - Atkins, D. Lanette
AU - Pumariega, Andres J.
AU - Rogers, Kenneth
AU - Montgomery, Larry
AU - Nybro, Cheryl
AU - Jeffers, Gary
AU - Sease, Franklin
N1 - Funding Information:
Study funded through a grant by the Fullerton Foundation, Gaffney, South Carolina, through the University of South Carolina School of Medicine; Andres J. Pumariega, M.D., Principal Investigator.
PY - 1999
Y1 - 1999
N2 - The incarceration of mentally ill youth is a serious problem not receiving the same attention as in adults. In this study, we examine the prevalence of psychopathology and level of behavioral symptomatology in incarcerated youth versus youth receiving community mental health services or hospitalization. We randomly recruited youth from middle South Carolina served by a local CMHC (n = 60), youth served by the state adolescent inpatient program (n = 50), and youth in the S.C. Dept. of Juvenile Justice facilities from the same region (n = 75). We used the DISC-PC 2.3 to evaluate DSM-III-R diagnoses and the CBCL and YSR to evaluate behavioral symptomatology. On the DISC, incarcerated youth had significantly higher mean number of diagnoses and symptoms than CMHC youth, but lower numbers than hospitalized youth. Level of "caseness" (at least one diagnosis) was 86% in hospital youth, 72% in incarcerated youth, and 60% in CMHC youth. The groups differed in CBCL mean total T, internalizing T, and externalizing T scores as well as mean YSR internalizing T scores. Our results indicate the comparability in level of psychopathology in incarcerated and community-treated populations of youth, and the need to develop diversionary programs to prevent the entry of such youth into the juvenile justice system.
AB - The incarceration of mentally ill youth is a serious problem not receiving the same attention as in adults. In this study, we examine the prevalence of psychopathology and level of behavioral symptomatology in incarcerated youth versus youth receiving community mental health services or hospitalization. We randomly recruited youth from middle South Carolina served by a local CMHC (n = 60), youth served by the state adolescent inpatient program (n = 50), and youth in the S.C. Dept. of Juvenile Justice facilities from the same region (n = 75). We used the DISC-PC 2.3 to evaluate DSM-III-R diagnoses and the CBCL and YSR to evaluate behavioral symptomatology. On the DISC, incarcerated youth had significantly higher mean number of diagnoses and symptoms than CMHC youth, but lower numbers than hospitalized youth. Level of "caseness" (at least one diagnosis) was 86% in hospital youth, 72% in incarcerated youth, and 60% in CMHC youth. The groups differed in CBCL mean total T, internalizing T, and externalizing T scores as well as mean YSR internalizing T scores. Our results indicate the comparability in level of psychopathology in incarcerated and community-treated populations of youth, and the need to develop diversionary programs to prevent the entry of such youth into the juvenile justice system.
KW - Adolescents
KW - Co-morbidity
KW - Incarceration
KW - Psychopathology
KW - Symptomatology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=34247290595&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=34247290595&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1023/A:1022040018365
DO - 10.1023/A:1022040018365
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:34247290595
SN - 1062-1024
VL - 8
SP - 193
EP - 204
JO - Journal of Child and Family Studies
JF - Journal of Child and Family Studies
IS - 2
ER -