Racial and Ethnic Differences in Mental Health Need and Services Received: Results from the Survey of Youth in Residential Placement (SYRP)

• In Event: Juveniles and Mental Illness

Abstract

Mental health disorders are serious issues for many justice-involved youth and are often catalysts for offending behavior. Despite this, the majority of youth in juvenile facilities have untreated mental health needs which can be exacerbated when released to the community (Telpin, et al., 2013). The lack of screening and treatment is problematic for all affected youth, but current research suggests minorities are disproportionately impacted at all stages of the justice system (Primm et al., 2005). The purpose of this study is to investigate racial/ethnic differences in youth’s mental health needs and services using data from the Survey of Youth in Residential Placement (SRYP). Data from 7063 youth from a diverse set of racial and ethnic backgrounds were examined. Preliminary individual-level findings suggest there are significant racial and ethnic differences across six domains of mental health need (e.g. ADD, Mood/Anxiety, etc.) and in the types of services they receive. Additional analyses using Hierarchical Generalized Linear Modeling (HGLM) will be conducted to assess the impact of facility-level factors in conjunction with race/ethnicity and other individual-level characteristics.

Author

• Leanne Heaton, Westat