Introduction One of the most serious socio-educational measures for children and adolescents in conflict with the law in Brazil is their internment. This measure may represent an additional source of stress to this population and present significant impacts in the mental health context. This study aims to describe anxiety levels, depression, and addictive consumption, as well as to estimate the causalities and interactions of these variables. Methods Herein, we report a study in which 175 male juveniles from youth detention institutions of the Federal District voluntarily completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and a short self-rating questionnaire asking whether and how often they had experienced cannabis, alcohol, and other “hard” psychotropic drugs (e.g., crack, cocaine, amphetamine) 1 year prior to institutionalization. Results Of the total participants, 28.00% showed moderate to severe depression scores and 34.28% showed moderate to severe anxiety scores. In addition, the vast majority of participants also reported some antecedent drug abuse, including cannabis, alcohol, and other “hard drugs.” The BDI scores moderately correlated with BAI, but none of these parameters considerably correlated with the antecedent drug abuse. Conclusions The data indicate potentially concerning levels of emotional distress in these institutionalized juveniles which seem to be independent of addictive behaviors. These data deserve attention and further investigation. Thus, a need for preventative mental health for the general population and socio-educational intervention aimed at interned youth which can decrease levels of emotional stress is emphasized.

Empowerment theories provide the conceptual framework to understand the process of change among marginalized groups in rehabilitation. Sociopolitical control is an element of the intrapersonal component of psychological empowerment (PE). The current study analyzes the psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the Sociopolitical Control Scale for Youth (SPCS‐Y) in a sample of institutionalized young male offenders (N = 190) and examines its relationships with well‐being, perception of educational environment, self‐efficacy, and drug consumption. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis supported the two‐dimensional structure of the SPCS‐Y (leadership competence and policy control). Linear regression models indicated that consumption of drugs contribute positively to leadership competence, and policy control was explained by well‐being, positive perception of educational environment, and enlisting social support. The results are consistent with previous studies from other countries and indicate that the SPCS‐Y is a valid measure to assess sociopolitical control among adolescents in rehabilitation. Additionally, theoretical implications and directions for practice are discussed in the paper.

The updated Keywords section is given below, and the original article (da Silva et al. 2021) has been corrected.