Psychological distress in an incarcerated juvenile population

Shu-Yu Lyu; Ying-Chen Chi; David Farabee; Liang-Ting Tsai; Ming-Been Lee; Feng-En Lo; Donald E Morisky

doi:10.1016/j.jfma.2014.03.011

Psychological distress in an incarcerated juvenile population

J Formos Med Assoc. 2015 Nov;114(11):1076-81. doi: 10.1016/j.jfma.2014.03.011. Epub 2014 May 1.

Authors

Shu-Yu Lyu¹, Ying-Chen Chi², David Farabee³, Liang-Ting Tsai⁴, Ming-Been Lee⁵, Feng-En Lo⁶, Donald E Morisky⁷

Affiliations

¹ School of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Indigenous Health and Preventive Medicine Research Center, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
² Department of Education and Research, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
³ Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁴ Indigenous Health and Preventive Medicine Research Center, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Educational Measurement and Statistics, National Taichung University of Education, Taichung, Taiwan.
⁵ Indigenous Health and Preventive Medicine Research Center, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: mingbeen@ntu.edu.tw.
⁶ Department of Leisure and Recreation Management, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan.
⁷ Department of Community Health Sciences, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

PMID: 24795216
DOI: 10.1016/j.jfma.2014.03.011

Abstract

Background/purpose: This study sought to examine the prevalence and correlates of psychological distress among incarcerated youth in Taiwan using the 5-item Brief Symptom Rating Scale (BSRS-5).

Methods: This cross-sectional census survey study was conducted in 2007 among all the juveniles incarcerated in 23 correctional institutions (n = 1505) in Taiwan using a self-administered anonymous questionnaire. Of the total 1505 participants, 1363 completed the questionnaire (91% response rate). We excluded 494 participants as they were aged either over 17 years or under 12 years. Psychological distress was measured among the final 869 participants using the BSRS-5. Psychological distress was defined as a total score of at least 6 out of 20. Those identified as having psychological distress were then pooled into a case group and compared with control participants without psychological distress.

Results: The prevalence of psychological distress was 44.1%. Among the case group, sleep disturbance (36.8%) had the highest prevalence of severe or very severe symptoms, followed by depression (34.7%), and hostility (27.9%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that correlates of psychological distress included the following: being female; having a poor self-rated health status; having joined a gang; having experienced life disturbances prior to the current imprisonment; and having ever had a smoking habit.

Conclusion: Significant sex differences were found for both the overall BSRS-5, as well as for each individual item of the BSRS-5. Treatment programs and interventions should be carefully tailored to address the mental health needs of juvenile inmates in a sex-specific manner using a multifaceted approach.

Keywords: incarcerated population; juvenile; psychological distress.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Anxiety / epidemiology*
Child
Cross-Sectional Studies
Depression / epidemiology*
Female
Health Status
Hostility*
Humans
Juvenile Delinquency / psychology*
Logistic Models
Male
Mental Health
Multivariate Analysis
Prisoners / psychology
Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
Risk Factors
Sex Factors
Sleep Wake Disorders / epidemiology*
Stress, Psychological / epidemiology*
Surveys and Questionnaires
Taiwan / epidemiology