Objective: High prevalence of traumatic event exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among justice-involved adolescents has necessitated the use of trauma screening in juvenile justice settings. The present study explored the psychometric properties, factor structure, and construct validity of a trauma screen, the Structured Trauma-Related Experiences and Symptoms Screener (STRESS), in a detained adolescent sample. Prior to the current study, psychometric characteristics of the STRESS were evaluated only in a child welfare sample (Grasso et al., 2015). Method: The sample consisted of 132 adolescents in secure detention facilities in a southeastern state. Participants were included in the study if they engaged in the mental health screening process at intake and a follow-up assessment process with facility staff psychologists. Data consisted of de-identified, archival records. Results: The STRESS total symptom and 4 criterion symptom count scores demonstrated high internal consistency. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the STRESS had excellent fit with the DSM-5 four-factor PTSD model. Equally strong evidence was found for a higher order PTSD model, thus reinforcing the use of both STRESS PTSD total and criterion symptom count scores with justice-involved adolescents. Additionally, preliminary evidence of convergent and discriminant validity was supported. Conclusions: Findings support the STRESS as a reliable and valid trauma screen for use with detained adolescents. Results suggest that both STRESS total symptom and criterion symptom count scores have clinical utility for intake-level mental health decisions in juvenile detention settings. Implications for expanding use of the STRESS to inform appropriate interventions for justice-involved adolescents are discussed. Clinical Impact StatementThis is the first known study to investigate the psychometric properties, factor structure, and construct validity of the STRESS in a juvenile justice sample of detained adolescents. Screening for trauma symptoms has become standard practice in the juvenile justice system. However, no one widely accepted, empirically supported tool exists. Establishing psychometric characteristics is critical to increase confidence in the screening process and to provide recommendations for how a screen can be used to appropriately identify adolescents in need of services. The present findings suggest that the STRESS has clinical utility for intake-level mental health decisions in secure juvenile detention settings.

The high rate of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) among individuals involved in the justice system represents a significant public health concern, as individuals with ASPD are more likely to reoffend after incarceration and to engage in longer-term offending behavior patterns over the lifespan. Research suggests that traumatic event exposure in childhood and adolescence may be one factor that contributes to the heightened risk for ASPD in adulthood, though findings are mixed depending on the operationalization of trauma exposure and demographics of study samples. The present study examined the impact of early and varied exposure to violence on the development of ASPD features in young adulthood. In addition, given evidence for gender differences in how youth respond to trauma, as well as disparate prevalence rates of ASPD among males and females, a secondary aim was to assess the impact of gender on the relationship between early trauma and antisocial personality outcomes. The study sample consisted of 1354 adolescents (86% male) who participated in a longitudinal research study of serious juvenile offenders. A series of linear regression analyses revealed that the magnitude of violence exposure participants endorsed at baseline significantly predicted antisocial personality features at six-year follow-up. Participants’ gender was not found to moderate the relationship between violence exposure and antisocial outcomes. Results suggest that targeting maladaptive cognitions and behaviors resulting from chronic exposure to early trauma may be a crucial component of treatment for justice-involved individuals exhibiting ASPD features.