Trauma and Mental Health Problems in Adolescent Males

Course overview

Course Description: This course is based upon material published in the journal Criminal Justice and Behavior by Sage Publications on behalf of the International Association for Correctional and Forensic Psychology (IACFP). This course, including the continuing education credits are offered free of charge as a benefit to all IACFP members via the web link http://cjb.sagepub.com/content/42/7/685.full.pdf+html Justice-involved youths are more likely to have mental health problems than peers in the community. Therefore, it is important to develop an understanding of the antecedents of mental health problems in this group. The present study examined the association between childhood trauma and mental health problems in juvenile justice-involved adolescent males (N = 422), comparing childhood-onset with adolescent-onset offenders. Childhood-onset offenders were more likely than adolescent onset offenders to report mental health and substance use problems, as well as childhood maltreatment. Via structural equation modeling, we found that childhood trauma predicted mental health problems in both offender groups. Multigroup analysis revealed a moderation effect of offender group: The association between trauma and mental health problems was stronger in adolescent-onset offenders than in childhood-onset offenders. Thus, mental health problems were more prevalent in childhood-onset offenders, but these problems were less well-explained by childhood trauma in childhood-onset than in adolescent-onset offenders. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. Forensic and clinical psychologists can benefit from this course. In addition, this course is appropriate for social workers and professional counselors, especially those interested in forensic psychology or those who work within the criminal justice system. This course is appropriate for intermediate and advanced level practitioners who wish to enhance their knowledge of complex trauma and aggression in adolescents, especially those in secure juvenile justice settings. Authors: Hoeve, Colins, Mulder, Loeber, Stams, Vermeiren Learning Objectives: This course will provide the practitioner with detailed information regarding complex trauma and aggression in secure juvenile settings. Specifically, a professional will: •Identify the antecedents of mental health problems within young adolescent males •Distinguish the association between childhood trauma and mental health problems in juvenile justice-involved males. •Describe risk factors between childhood-onset and adolescent-onset offenders examine childhood trauma and mental health problems in these type of offenders. Citation: Hoeve, M. et al., (2015).Trauma and Mental Health Problems in Adolescent Males. Criminal Justice and Behavior Vol 42 No 7