A prospective cohort study of the changing mental health needs of adolescents in custody

Abstract

ObjectiveTo investigate changes in mental health and other needs, as well as clinical and diagnostic ‘caseness’, in a sample of adolescents over a 6-month period following entry into a Young Offenders Institution in the UK.DesignProspective cohort study.SettingOne Young Offenders Institution between November 2006 and August 2009.Participants219 male adolescents aged 15–18 years (M=16.56; SD=0.6) were assessed at baseline (median=4; range 0–26 days following reception into custody) on the Salford Needs Assessment Schedule for Adolescents (SNASA) and Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS). Participants were then reassessed at 3-month and 6-month postbaseline to document any change in mental health.ResultsOf the initial baseline sample, 132 were still in the study at 3-month postbaseline and 63 were still available for assessment at 6 months. There were no differences between those who were not available for assessment at the three key stages in terms of demographic and criminological data. Over time there was a general improvement in mental health. While the proportion of participants with a mental health need (SNASA) did not change over time, symptom severity as measured by the SNASA did reduce significantly. When we assessed diagnostic ‘caseness’ using the K-SADS, three young people showed significant mental health deterioration.ConclusionsIn line with previous studies, we found that symptoms in prison generally improved over time. Prison may provide an opportunity for young people previously leading chaotic lifestyles to settle into a stable routine and engage with services; however, it is unclear if these would be maintained either within the prison or on release into the community.

An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-regression Analysis: Mental Disorders Among Adolescents in Juvenile Detention and Correctional Facilities

“…12,19,21,27,[32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49] We combined them with the 25 surveys identified in the previous review. 28, Two studies 12,69 were based on the same sample, which provided 12,28,40,42,[50][51][52][53]57,[59][60][61]63,66,68,69,72,73 ; six were from the United Kingdom (n ¼ 1,145) 27,44,54,55,62,64 ; three were from Canada (n ¼ 408) 37,<...>…”

“…28, Two studies 12,69 were based on the same sample, which provided 12,28,40,42,[50][51][52][53]57,[59][60][61]63,66,68,69,72,73 ; six were from the United Kingdom (n ¼ 1,145) 27,44,54,55,62,64 ; three were from Canada (n ¼ 408) 37,38,70 ; two each were from Australia (n ¼ 384), 41,56 Brazil (n ¼ 143), 35,49 Russia (n ¼ 740), 45,67 and the Netherlands (n ¼ 416) 39,71 ; and one each was from Austria (n ¼ 259), 33 Belgium (n ¼ 245), 19 China (n ¼ 232), 47 Denmark (n ¼ 100), 58 Germany (n ¼ 38), 43 Iran (n ¼ 100), 36 Japan (n ¼ 48), 48 Malaysia (n ¼ 105), 34 Norway (n ¼ 40), 46 South Korea (n ¼ 173), …”

A longitudinal study of mental health symptoms in young prisoners: exploring the influence of personal factors and the correctional climate

“…Accurate knowledge about the longitudinal course of prisoners’ distress during incarceration is important because it informs prison management about high-risk periods, which may enhance an optimal timing of treatment and interventions. At present, longitudinal studies on mental health problems among incarcerated adolescents are scarce, but the existing studies suggest that symptoms of anxiety and depression declined over a two month period in prison [ 12 , 13 ], and that their mental health in general improved during the first six months in custody [ 14 ].…”

Adolescentes em conflito com a Lei: relações entre o comportamento delituoso e o de uso de substâncias psicoativas

“…No Reino Unido, estudo com 219 adolescentes custodiados (com média de idade de 16 anos), utilizando um instrumento de avaliação multidimensional, identificou que 169 deles apresentavam problemas relacionados à educação; 153 tinham comportamentos de riscos, incluindo uso de substâncias; 151 apresentavam comportamentos violentos; 93 transtornos psiquiátricos e 89 problemas relacionais. No mesmo estudo, identificaram-se, pela aplicação de um instrumento de diagnóstico baseado no DSM-IV, altas taxas de problemas com álcool (78%) e de abuso de outras substâncias (73%) (Lennox, Bell, O'Malley, Shaw & Dolan, 2013).…”

“…Estudos objetivando observar dificuldades referentes ao uso de substâncias em meio a jovens em conflito com a lei, usando diferentes instrumentos, interessantemente indicam também, de forma geral, serem os problemas relacionados à vida escolar prevalentes em diferentes realidades socioculturais (Ibabe, Arnoso, & Elgorriaga, 2014;Lennox et al, 2013;Margari et al, 2015;Reingle, Jennings, & Komro, 2013;van der Put, Creemers, & Hoeve, 2014), mesmo em algumas bastante diferentes, como na sociedade japonesa (Takahashi, Mori, & Kroner, 2013 (Bazon, Silva & Ferrari, 2013).…”