Treating Detained Juveniles: Measuring Mental Health Traits and Gender Differences

Abstract

An understanding of gender-specific differences between detained male and female youth and how these differences relate to mental health is fundamental to understanding, assessing, and treating this population. This study examined the prevalence of mental health symptoms among a sample of 4,015 incarcerated juveniles who were assessed at intake using the BASC-2, MAYSI-2, and Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children. Significant differences were found between males and females on many of the instruments’ clinical scales, the effect size, however, was small. The prevalence of mental health symptoms varied greatly based on the instrument used (12% and 70% for males; 18% and 72% for females). Interpretations of these results and how they can be used to enhance understanding and treatment of the mental health needs of this population, specifically the females, are discussed

An Examination of the CROPS and BASC-2-SRP-A among Adjudicated Youth

“…Gender-specific programming is needed to address the unique needs of females (Grande, Hallman, Underwood, Warren, & Rehfuss, 2012), who are at a greater risk to develop PTSD, may be exposed to more traumatic events (especially interpersonal traumas) than males, and whose delinquency behavior is typically related to coping with traumatic experiences . Given the relational nature of females and the fact that their trauma experiences tend to occur within the context of a relationship Kerig, Ward, Vanderzee, & Moeddel, 2009), interventions that promote interpersonal and emotional regulation skills may be beneficial.…”

“…A clinically significant CROPS score has been defined as a total score of 19 or above (Greenwald & Rubin, 1999). First, similar to a recent study by Grande, Hallman, Underwood, Warren, and Rehfuss (2012), a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted on the data, followed by univariate analysis of the individual subscales. Two cases were excluded due to missing data, bringing the analysis number to 107.…”

Adlerian-informed supervision: Protecting counselors from burnout and improving client outcomes in the juvenile justice system.

“…Though data indicate that minority youth and youth from lower socioeconomic strata are more likely to interact with the JJS, they are less likely to receive appropriate mental health services (Desai et al, 2012; Herz, 2001) and more likely to receive punitive interventions (Fader et al, 2014). While the prevalence of mental health symptoms increases as youth progress through the JJS (Wasserman et al, 2010), research indicates that repeat offenders are more likely to access mental health services possibly due to increased opportunities for services or increased staff effort in response to the escalating behavior (Grande et al, 2012; White et al, 2019).…”