@article{ref1,
title="Psychiatric symptoms and substance use among juvenile offenders: a latent profile investigation",
journal="Criminal justice and behavior",
year="2007",
author="Vaughn, Michael G. and Freedenthal, Stacey L. and Jenson, Jeffrey M. and Howard, Matthew O.",
volume="34",
number="10",
pages="1296-1312",
abstract="The high rate of co-occurring mental health and substance abuse problems among antisocial and delinquent youth is a widely recognized problem in the juvenile justice system. Yet few studies have delineated meaningful clinical distinctions in the characteristics of offenders with co-occurring problems. Latent profile analysis was used to identify subgroups of juvenile offenders based on clinically relevant measures of psychiatric symptoms (including past traumatic experiences), lifetime substance use, and drug- and alcohol-related problems stemming from the use of psychoactive substances in a statewide population (n = 723). <br><br>FINDINGS revealed that a four-class solution fit the data optimally. The four classes identified represented a severity-based gradient of symptom and substance use endorsement ranging from a mild subgroup (n = 195; 27.0%), to moderately low ( n = 250; 34.6%) and high (n = 197; 27.2%) subgroups, and finally, a severely distressed subgroup (n = 81; 11.2%). Implications for identifying and treating young offenders with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse problems are noted. Keywords: Juvenile justice<p /><p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0093-8548",
doi="10.1177/0093854807304624",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0093854807304624"
}