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January 28, 2008Mental Health Screenings, Risk Behavior Interventions Needed in Juvenile Justice System |
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From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: Kids who have been arrested and are depressed are more likely to use drugs and alcohol and engage in unsafe sexual activity that puts them at greater risk for HIV, according to new research from the Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center. Findings of the study, published in the January issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, suggest the need for depression screenings as part of the juvenile intake process in order to determine appropriate mental health, substance use and HIV risk behavior interventions. "We know that symptoms of depression may be a factor that is linked to both drug and alcohol use and sexual risk-taking behaviors," said lead author Marina Tolou-Shams, Ph.D., of the Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center and an assistant research professor of psychiatry at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. "However, juvenile offenders aren't routinely screened for emotional difficulties, such as depression or anxiety -- rather, everyone tends to focus more on their conduct or behavioral problems." The current study is one of the first to examine the link between substance use, mental health and sexual risk among high-risk youth who have an arrest history but may not have been detained or incarcerated. They found that juvenile offenders with significant symptoms of depression, such as feelings of loneliness or worthlessness, reported much greater drug and alcohol use. They were also more likely to use these substances during sex, used condoms less, and had more psychiatric hospitalizations and suicide attempts than arrestees without depressive symptoms.
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