Health Risk Behavior among Male and Female Justice Involved Youth: Exploratory Multi-Group Latent Class Analysis

• In Event: Gender, Substance Use, and Delinquency

Abstract

Youth involved in the juvenile justice system experience a disproportionate prevalence of serious mental health issues, substance abuse, and are at an increased risk of engaging in risky sexual practices. Girls are at markedly greater risk of acquiring a sexually transmitted disease. We sought to determine if there were subgroups of male and female youth who differ in their health risk behavior; if male or female subgroups at different levels of health risk differ in regard to sociodemographic and psychological factors; and the service delivery implications of these differences. Youth were participants in an innovative health service at a centralized intake facility in the southeastern U.S. Latent class analysis and multinomial logistic regression examined the heterogeneity of health risk behaviors across the gender groups. Results indicated a three class solution provided the optimal fit to the data for each gender group: a Lower Health Risk group, a Higher Health Risk group, and a Highest Health Risk group. Multinomial logistic regression analysis identified significant sociodemographic and depression effects among both male and female youth. Youth characterized by risky sexually behavior, elevated depression, and drug involvement should be the focus of integrated intervention services.

Authors

• Richard Dembo, University of South Florida

• Jessica Faber, ACTS, Inc.

• Jennifer Cristiano, ACTS, Inc.

• Ralph J. DiClemente, Emory University

• Julie Krupa, University of South Florida

• Asha Terminello, ACTS, Inc.

• Jennifer Wareham, Wayne State University