Differences between Sexual and Nonsexual Adjudicated Juvenile Offenders on Mental Health, Drug Use, and Prior Sexual Abuse

摘要

Juvenile offenders incarcerated in facilities are not a homogenous group with similar histories, behaviors, or mental health symptomology. Previous research, treatment approaches, and even assessment models had often considered all adjudicated youth in the same manner; that is, distinctions were not made between sexual offenders and nonsexual offenders and, further, between types of sexual offenders. The purpose of this ex post facto study was to investigate differences in reported mental health symptoms, drug use, and prior sexual abuse between juvenile sexual offenders----specifically, juveniles who committed the crime of rape----and juvenile nonsexual offenders. Independent t test analyses showed that the juvenile sexual offenders (rapists) reported significantly more symptoms of anxiety, hallucinations, loneliness, isolation, suicidal ideation, and attentional problems than the nonsexual offender group. The nonsexual offender group reported significantly more anger and trauma symptoms than the sexual offender group. Chi-square analysis determined that drug use was higher in the nonsexual offender group. The sexual offender group results showed higher rates of prior sexual abuse. The findings suggest differences among the sexual offender group when compared to the nonsexual offender group, which may inform practice, theory, and future research on adjudicated juvenile offenders.