Loss Due to Death and Its Association With Mental Disorders in Juvenile Detainees

• NCJ Number: 249422
• Journal: Juvenile and Family Court Journal Volume: 66 Issue: 3 Dated: Summer 2015 Pages: 1-18
• Author(s): Julie Laken Harnisher; Karen Abram; Jason Washburn; Marquita Stokes; Nicole Azores-Gococo; Linda Teplin
• Date Published: 2015
• Length: 18 pages
• Grant Number(s): 1999-JE-FX-1001, 2005-JLFX-0288, 2008-JF-FX-0068
• Sponsoring Agency: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
• Publication Format: Article; Document (Online)
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical); Report (Study/Research); Report (Grant Sponsored)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study investigated the prevalence of loss due to death and its association with mental disorders in a random sample of 898 newly detained adolescents in Chicago, Illinois.

Abstract

Nearly 90 percent of youth experienced the loss of an important person; most had also experienced a "high-risk" loss (e.g., loss due to violence, sudden loss). Minority youth were at particular risk. Youth with any loss or multiple losses were more likely to have mood disorders and ADHD/behavioral disorders, respectively, than youth who had no such losses. Interventions focusing on modifiable protective factors following loss may increase positive outcomes in this vulnerable population. (Publisher abstract modified)