Measurement invariance of the Youth Self-Report across youth who have committed sexual and nonsexual offenses.

Justice-involved youth experience high rates of mental health problems that require proper screening and assessment in order to effectively intervene. The Youth Self-Report (YSR) is a general psychopathology rating scale that measures several dimensions of psychopathology and is commonly used in clinical assessments, including with justice-involved youth. Yet, the underlying factor structure of the YSR has not been examined specifically in a sample of justice-involved youth. We examined the factor structure of the YSR using confirmatory factor analysis with a sample of 961 male youth involved with the justice system (12-18 years of age). Measurement invariance of the YSR was also examined across groups of youth who committed a sexual offence and those who committed a nonsexual offence. The eight-factor model presented with optimal fit to the data, consistent with previous research with nonjustice involved samples, and the model demonstrated strong measurement invariance across youth who committed both types of offenses (sexual and nonsexual). Youth who committed nonsexual offenses reported significantly higher degrees of rule-breaking behavior and lower degrees of social problems than youth who committed sexual offenses. The current findings provide strong psychometric evidence that supports the use of the YSR with justice-involved male youth. As such, clinicians and researchers can be confident in using the YSR as a mental health screening tool with male youth involved with the justice system who have committed various offenses. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Assessment of Strengths in Criminal Justice System-Impacted Youth: A Retrospective Validation Study of the SAPROF-YV.

The Structured Assessment of Protective Factors for Violence Risk-Youth Version (SAPROF-YV; de Vries Robbé et al., 2015) was designed specifically to assess strengths as a complement to risk assessment tools. We retrospectively examined its reliability and validity in 305 Canadian community-sentenced youth, both in the overall sample and in male and female, and Black and White, subgroups. In all groups, the total score had strong internal consistency, inter-rater reliability, and convergent validity, and significantly predicted general recidivism at 3-year fixed follow-up. The SAPROF-YV showed incremental validity over the YLS/CMI only in Black youth. In the total sample, a moderation effect was identified whereby strengths were protective at lower levels of risk but not for moderate or high risk youth. The SAPROF-YV shows promising reliability and validity; however, more research is needed before clear guidance can be provided regarding the use of this measure in clinical practice.

Psychosocial Intervention for Youth With High Externalizing Behaviors and Aggression Is Associated With Improvement in Impulsivity and Brain Gray Matter Volume Changes.

Background: Stop, Now And Plan (SNAP) is a cognitive behavioral-based psychosocial intervention that has a strong evidence base for treating youth with high aggression and externalizing behaviors, many of whom have disruptive behavior disorders. In a pre-post design, we tested whether SNAP could improve externalizing behaviors, assessed by the parent-rated Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and also improve behavioral measures of impulsivity in children with high aggression and impulsivity. We then investigated whether any improvement in externalizing behavior or impulsivity was associated with gray matter volume (GMV) changes assessed using structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI). We also recruited typically developing youth who were assessed twice without undergoing the SNAP intervention. Methods: Ten children who were participating in SNAP treatment completed the entire study protocol. CBCL measures, behavioral measures of impulsivity, and sMRI scanning was conducted pre-SNAP and then 13 weeks later post-SNAP. Twelve healthy controls also completed the study; they were rated on the CBCL, performed the same behavioral measure of impulsivity, and underwent sMRI twice, separated by 13 weeks. They did not receive the SNAP intervention. Result: At baseline, SNAP participants had higher CBCL scores and performed worse on the impulsivity task compared with the healthy controls. At the second visit, SNAP participants still had higher scores on the CBCL compared with normally-developing controls, but their performance on the impulsivity task had improved to the point where their results were indistinguishable from the healthy controls. Structural magnetic resonance imaging in the SNAP participants further revealed that improvements in impulsivity were associated with GMV changes in the frontotemporal region. Conclusion: These results suggest that SNAP led to improvement in behavioral measures of impulsivity in a cohort of boys with high externalizing behavior. Improvement in impulsivity was also associated with increased GMV changes. The mechanism behind these brain changes is unknown but could relate to cognitive behavioral therapy and contingency management interventions, important components of SNAP, that target frontotemporal brain regions. Clinically, this study offers new evidence for the potential targeting of brain regions by non-invasive modalities, such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, to improve externalizing behavior and impulsivity.

The Relationship Between Trauma, Recidivism Risk, and Reoffending in Male and Female Juvenile Offenders.

Elevated rates of traumatic experience in the juvenile justice population are well established. Nevertheless, the role of trauma and its application to rehabilitation and recidivism in a criminal justice context remains hotly debated, particularly for female youth. The Risk-Need-Responsivity framework, the predominant model for risk assessment and case management in juvenile justice, does not consider trauma to be a risk factor for offending. This study examined- Posttraumatic Stress symptomology, maltreatment history, and childhood adversity - in relation to RNR risk factors for reoffending (criminogenic needs) and recidivism in a sample of female and male juvenile offenders. Rates of PTS symptomology, maltreatment, and childhood adversity were significantly higher in this sample compared to prevalence in the general population. Females were more likely to have experienced maltreatment. Several maltreatment and childhood adversity types were significantly related to criminogenic needs. PTS symptomology and adversity were not significant predictors of recidivism when entered alongside criminogenic needs; however, maltreatment was the strongest predictor of recidivism for both male and female youth in a model that included criminogenic needs. Gender did not moderate the relationship between maltreatment and recidivism. The importance of considering youths' maltreatment history in their rehabilitative care is discussed.

The role of mental health and specific responsivity in juvenile justice rehabilitation.

Understanding the role that mental health issues play in justice-involved youth poses challenges for research, policy, and practice. While mental health problems are generally not risk factors for criminal behavior according to the risk-needs-responsivity (RNR) framework of correctional psychology practice, prevalence rates are very high and RNR principles suggest that mental health as a responsivity variable may moderate the success of interventions targeted to criminogenic needs. In this study we investigated the relationships among mental health status, criminogenic needs treatment, and recidivism in a sample of 232 youth referred for court-ordered assessments and followed through their community supervision sentence (probation). Youth with mental health needs were no more likely than youth without these needs to reoffend, regardless of whether those needs were treated. Youth who received mental health treatment also more frequently had their criminogenic needs matched across several domains, suggesting an association between mental health treatment and intermediate treatment targets. However, mental health did not moderate the effect of criminogenic needs treatment: youth who had a greater proportion of criminogenic needs targeted through appropriate services were less likely to reoffend, regardless of mental health status. Findings are consistent with the RNR stance that, within a correctional context in which the primary goal of intervention is preventing recidivism, treatment for mental health needs should be in addition to criminogenic needs treatment, not in replacement of it. They also point to the need for continued research to understand precisely how mental health treatment interacts with intervention targeting criminogenic needs. (PsycINFO Database Record

A theoretical evaluation of a youth mental health court program model.

Mental health courts are a promising new approach to addressing the overrepresentation of mental health needs among offender populations, yet little is known about how they facilitate change, particularly for youth. The current study reports on a process evaluation of a youth mental health court in Toronto, Canada. Drawing upon observations of the court and interviews with key informants, we developed a program model of the court and explored its implementation within the context of empirical evidence for treating justice-involved youth. Findings revealed that the proposed mechanism of change, which focuses on reducing recidivism through the treatment of mental health needs, should also consider factors directly related to offending behavior. Findings further highlight several strengths of the program, including the program's supportive environment and ability to engage and link youth and families with treatment. Areas for continued growth include the need for comprehensive protections of legal rights.

The Strengths Assessment Inventory-Youth Version: An evaluation of the psychometric properties with male and female justice-involved youth.

Strengths constitute an important element of developmental assessments. It is consistent with evidence-based practice to use assessment tools that adequately measure a given construct and are appropriate for use with their targeted population. The Strengths Assessment Inventory-Youth Version (SAI-Y; Rawana & Brownlee, 2010)-a self-report measure of personal strengths, self-concept, and emotional functioning-was administered to 230 male and female adolescent offenders. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed that the SAI-Y's factor structure demonstrated an acceptable fit overall, while some factors fit the data well, and fewer factors displayed a questionable fit. A majority of scale scores were found to exhibit good reliability for both sexes, with three empirical scale scores demonstrating poor reliability. In addition, scores on the SAI-Y also achieved satisfactory convergent and divergent validity. Total strength scores were significantly correlated in the expected direction with most theoretically related measures of emotional and behavioral functioning (e.g., self-esteem, treatment readiness, antisocial attitudes). Lastly, moderate gender effects and small ethnicity differences in response patterns were found. This was the first validation study of the SAI-Y with a justice-involved sample and the results suggest it is an appropriate measure for use with both male and female justice-involved young persons in detention and in the community. (PsycINFO Database Record

Program manager perspectives on the service system to meet the needs of youth with concurrent disorders: findings from a Canadian national survey.

BACKGROUND: Concurrent mental health and substance use issues are a serious problem for adolescents and transition-aged youth. Service providers across sectors must be involved in informing system change to meet youth needs. This study examines stakeholder perspectives on services for youth with concurrent disorders including 1) clinical issues in youth services; 2) priority system issues; and 3) optimal knowledge translation strategies to enhance researcher-stakeholder communication. METHODS: A database of youth clinical services across Canada was developed. Program managers (n = 481) at cross-sectoral (mental health, addictions, justice, child welfare, advocacy, and outreach) youth-serving (aged 12-24) programs were invited to complete an online survey; 232 responded. Survey questions concerned youth needs, program characteristics, priorities for service system enhancement; and usual and preferred knowledge translation methods. RESULTS: Across service sectors, the mean estimated proportion of youth using services with concurrent mental health and substance use problems was 55%. Program managers reported routine screening for mental health and substance use concerns (66%), referring to other agencies to meet the concurrent disorder needs of youth (54%), offering specific programming for concurrent disorders (42%), and program evaluation (48%). Notably, mental health programs were significantly less likely to offer concurrent disorders services than addictions programs. Where services do exist, most are targeted at youth aged 12-18 years, with fewer services available for transition-aged youth. Endorsement of various system change goals exceeded 80%, with a particular emphasis on improving access to services (49%), ensuring a continuum of services for varying levels of severity (37%), and improved integration across sectors (36%). Preferred knowledge exchange methods were workshops and websites for receiving information; and focus groups or surveys, rather than intensive participation on research teams, to inform research. CONCLUSIONS: There is a high need to build capacity across most sectors for meeting the needs of youth with co-occurring mental health and substance use problems, especially for transition-aged youth. In addition, limits in program evaluation should be addressed. Innovative knowledge exchange strategies are needed to better meet the needs of youth with concurrent disorders. Although service providers expressed readiness to participate in service enhancement and knowledge translation activities, effective, feasible approaches must integrate strategies likely to result in desired clinical outcomes, given clinical workload challenges.

Moderators of informant agreement in the assessment of adolescent psychopathology: extension to a forensic sample.

A well-documented finding in developmental psychopathology research is that different informants often provide discrepant ratings of a youth's internalizing and externalizing problems. The current study examines youth- and parent-based moderators (i.e., youth age, gender, and IQ; type of psychopathology; offense category; psychopathic traits; parental education, income, and stress) of informant discrepancies in a sample of young offenders and compares the utility of youth and caregiver reports against relevant clinical outcomes. Results indicate that gender moderated the discrepancy between informant reports of somatic complaints, while parenting stress moderated the discrepancies across reports of internalizing and externalizing psychopathology. Variables unique to the forensic context (e.g., offense category) were found to moderate cross-informant discrepancies in reports of internalizing and externalizing psychopathology. Further, youth self-reports of internalizing symptoms predicted a clinician-generated diagnosis of a mood disorder, while caregiver reports of aggressive behaviors predicted the presence of an externalizing diagnosis. Results highlight the importance of assessing informant agreement in the context of forensic assessment and raise questions surrounding the optimal use of informant data in this setting.

Exploring differences in youth and parent reports of antisociality among adolescent sexual and nonsexual offenders.

This study examined the extent of, and explored several possible explanations for, the discrepancies found between adolescent and parent reports of conduct problems in adolescent sexual and nonsexual offenders. We found that adolescent sexual offenders scored lower on measures of conduct problems than did nonsexual offenders, whether on the basis of adolescent or parent report, though the difference was much larger for parent reports. Examining this discrepancy more closely, we found that parents of sexual offenders reported less antisocial behavior than did their sons, whereas parents of nonsexual offenders reported more antisocial behavior than did their sons. The same pattern of results was obtained for reports on impulsivity, but much less so with respect to antisocial personality traits such as narcissism and callousness. Measures of family functioning were generally not related to these parent-adolescent discrepancies in reports of conduct problems, but these discrepancies were positively correlated with parental reports of stress. The implications of these findings for the interpretation of research on adolescent sexual offenders and comparisons of sexual and nonsexual offenders are discussed.

Identifying persistently antisocial offenders using the Hare Psychopathy Checklist and DSM antisocial personality disorder criteria.

Early starting, lifetime criminal persistence has been called sociopathy, antisocial personality disorder, and psychopathy. There is, however, disagreement about its core features and which measure is best for identifying such individuals. In the 1st of 2 studies of male offenders (n = 74), we found a large association between scores on the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R; R. D. Hare, 1991) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed. [DSM-IV]; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) antisocial personality disorder criteria scored as a scale. The second study (n = 684) replicated this finding and found that, as previously shown for PCL-R scores, a discrete class (or taxon) also underlies scores on items reflecting antisocial personality disorder. The high association among these sets of items and their similarity in predicting violence suggested that the same natural class underlies each. Results indicated that life-course-persistent antisociality can be assessed well by measures of psychopathy and antisocial personality disorder.