Psychiatric Disorders and Recidivism among Korean Adolescents on Probation or Parole

OBJECTIVE: The percentage of repeat offenders is increasing among juvenile offenders in Korea. The assessment and treatment of the mental health of young offenders may play an important role in reducing the recidivism rate of adolescents. This study examined the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among adolescents on probation or parole and the risk of recidivism associated with specific psychiatric disorders. METHODS: We studied 120 adolescents on probation. The Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview and Conners’ Rating Scale-Revised were used to diagnose psychiatric disorders. RESULTS: Almost half of the juvenile offenders had psychiatric disorders, including alcohol use disorder (19.17%), bipolar disorder (18.33%), antisocial personality disorder (11.67%), and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (10.83%). Alcohol use disorder was significantly associated with repeated offenses, but psychiatric disorders, excluding alcohol use disorder, were not significantly associated with repeated offenses. CONCLUSION: These results suggested that the development of education and treatment programs for psychiatric disorders, including alcohol use disorder, among juvenile offenders on probation or parole may help to prevent repeated criminal behaviour.

Body Mass Index, Body Weight Perception, and Depressed Mood in Korean Adolescents

OBJECTIVES: We examined the relationships between the body mass index, body weight perception, and depressed mood in a nationally representative sample of Korean adolescents. METHODS: We analyzed the data from the 2013 Korean Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey and evaluated the relationships between the body mass index, body weight perception, and depressed mood by gender (36655 boys and 35780 girls). RESULTS: For boys, a low body mass index and perceiving oneself as underweight were related to depressed mood. For girls, both low and high body mass indices were negatively related to depressed mood. In addition, self-perceptions of being underweight or overweight were positively related to depressed mood. Body weight perception was not a significant mediator in the relationship between body mass index and depressed mood. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that both body mass index and body weight perception significantly contribute to Korean adolescents' depressed mood. Thus, research and clinical attention needs to be given to underweight as well as overweight adolescents, because those who perceive their weight as not normal are at risk for depression.