Suicidal Ideation and Attempts Among Court-Involved, Nonincarcerated Youth

Abstract

Over the past decade, suicide remains one of the leading causes of death among adolescents and a public health priority. Court-involved non-incarcerated juvenile justice youth frequently present with risk factors for suicide. Among these court-involved youth, 14% (n=50) endorsed a lifetime history of suicide ideation and attempts. Three main factors were associated with increased risk: prior offense, substance use, and childhood sexual abuse histories. This study highlights the importance of understanding suicidal behavior among non-detained juvenile justice populations. Community-based court involvement provides a rare opportunity to coordinate screening and suicide prevention efforts for youth and their families.

Association of Childhood Maltreatment With Suicide Behaviors Among Young People

“…However, an additional 328 studies were excluded because they did not meet the inclusion criteria for this review. This process left 79 individual studies eligible for inclusion 24 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 79 , 80 , 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 , 86 , 87 , 88 , 89 , 90 , 91 , 92 ,…”

“…Sexual abuse was associated with 2.5-fold increased odds for suicide ideation (33 studies 35 , 36 , 38 , 41 , 42 , 45 , 46 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 53 , 55 , 61 , 65 , 67 , 69 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 83 , 85 , 92 , 93 , 94 , 95 , 101 , 103 , 104 , 106 , 107 , 109 , 110 ; OR, 2.46; 95% CI, 2.08-2.90; I 2 = 94.6%), and heterogeneity was high. Physical abuse (23 studies 35 , 45 , 46 , 48 , 51 , 55 , 64 , 67 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 78 , 83 , 85 , 91 , 92 , 93 , 95 , 98 , 103 , 104 , 107 , 109 ; OR, 1.95; 95% CI, 1.67-2.27; I 2 = 81.9%), emotional abuse (7 studies 35…”

Feasibility and acceptability of a brief suicide intervention for youth involved with the family court

“…Given these data, a general consensus has been reached among clinicians and policymakers that juveniles should be screened for suicide at every contact point in the JJ system, especially at their initial intake appointments (Kemp et al., 2016; Scott, Underwood, & Lamis, 2015; Skowyra & Cocozza, 2007). At this contact point, youth are often administered a screening tool (e.g., Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument‐2; Grisso, Barnum, Fletcher, Cauffman, & Peuschold, 2001) and follow‐up questions to inquire about current SI, current/past suicide attempts, mental health issues, experience of a recent significant loss and friends’/family members’ suicidal behavior (Hayes, 2009).…”

“…It has been recommended that nonclinical staff and JJ stakeholders (e.g., probation officers, bachelor’s level social workers, legal professionals, etc.) be trained to understand the protective and risk factors for suicidal behavior among the JJ population, respond to warning signs by administering suicide screenings, follow emergency protocols, and conduct brief interventions (Kemp et al., 2016).…”

Justice involvement and girls' sexual health: Directions for policy and practice

“…In 2014, 17% of girls with delinquency cases involved detention (compared to 24% of male delinquency cases); the vast majority were diverted (or redirected) from further processing in the system following arrest (Hockenberry & Puzzanchera, 2017). We refer to these girls herein as court-involved, non-incarcerated or CINI (Kemp et al, 2016;Tolou-Shams, Harrison, Conrad, Johnson, & Brown, 2017), i.e., those who are justice-involved but remain supervised while living in the community.…”