NCJ Number
147528
Journal
Journal of Adolescence Volume: 17 Issue: 1 Dated: (February 1994) Pages: 41-52
Date Published
1994
Length
12 pages
Annotation
The inpatient medical records of 157 adolescents who were consecutive admissions to a private psychiatric hospital were retrospectively reviewed to explore the hypothesis that adolescent psychiatric patients with interests in the occult would manifest different psychopathology and behavioral disturbances than their hospitalized peers.
Abstract
The youths were aged 13-17 and were admitted to a hospital in north central Florida for 2 to 290 days. Average length of stay was 64.38 days. Results revealed that 10 individuals (6.4 percent) had an interest in witchcraft or Satanism. These youths had significantly more diagnoses of identity disorder, alcohol abuse, and hallucinogen abuse. Half reported a history of self-mutilation. Although 50 percent of this group had arrest histories, none were for violent crimes. Furthermore, those with and without interest in the occult had no significant differences in criminal behaviors. Findings indicated that clinical recognition of occult beliefs in youth can be an essential component in gaining a comprehensive understanding of the psychopathology and personality development in these individuals. Treatment planning can then address these issues as appropriate in individual, group, and family therapy. Tables, case examples, and 12 references (Author abstract modified)