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Open Access 01-12-2020 | Research article

Sex differences in youth with mental health problems in inpatient, outpatient and youth justice settings

Authors: Shannon L. Stewart, Elizabeth Thornley, Natalia Lapshina, Patricia Erickson, Evelyn Vingilis, Hayley Hamilton, Nathan Kolla

Published in: BMC Psychiatry | Issue 1/2020

Abstract

Background

Approximately 40–70% of justice-involved youth have untreated mental health problems. There is no current research that directly compares the mental health profiles of youth involved in the justice system to that of inpatients and outpatients. The research reported is significant because it directly compares the needs of these population by use of the same suite of standardized assessment tools.

Methods

The sample consisted of 755 youth aged 16–19 years recruited from youth justice and mental health facilities in Ontario, Canada. Participants completed semi-structured assessment interviews using the interRAI child and youth suite of instruments to assess for internalizing and externalizing concerns as well as exposure to traumatic life events.

Results

Findings indicated that justice-involved youth experienced higher levels of certain types of trauma. Analyses examining sex differences indicated that, controlling for age, males in the youth justice group reported higher cumulative trauma compared to male outpatients but not inpatients. Females in the youth justice group reported experiencing higher cumulative trauma compared to female outpatients and inpatients. In addition, controlling for sex and age, the youth justice group reported lower internalizing symptoms scores than inpatients and outpatients. Finally, males in the youth justice group scored lower than inpatients in externalizing symptoms, whereas females within the youth justice group scored higher in externalizing symptoms compared to inpatients and outpatients.

Conclusions

Results indicated that youth who are involved with the justice system exhibit significant psychosocial issues that represent complex service needs which require unique interventions in order to be addressed appropriately.

We probed for case type × sex interactions for traumatic life events. Although some of them were statistically significant, a decision was made to not report them due to very wide 95% confidence intervals for odds ratios. Instead, all binary logistic regression models control for sex and age differences.

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Title: Sex differences in youth with mental health problems in inpatient, outpatient and youth justice settings
Authors: Shannon L. Stewart
Elizabeth Thornley
Natalia Lapshina
Patricia Erickson
Evelyn Vingilis
Hayley Hamilton
Nathan Kolla
Publication date: 01-12-2020
Publisher: BioMed Central
Published in: BMC Psychiatry / Issue 1/2020
Electronic ISSN: 1471-244X
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-019-2413-z

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Sex differences in youth with mental health problems in inpatient, outpatient and youth justice settings

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

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