Health Outcomes in Young Adulthood: Exploring the Effects of Gender and Juvenile Justice System Contact

• In Event: New Directions in Research and Practice at the Intersection of Youth/Emerging Adults and the Legal System

Abstract

Youth who become involved in the juvenile justice system often do so with complex needs. Many physical, mental, and behavioral health risk behaviors and experiences (e.g., substance use) not only increase youth odds of justice system involvement but have unintended long-term consequences. Although girls are underrepresented in most stages of the juvenile justice system, their representation is larger today than in the past. Many studies find that justice-involved girls have higher psychological and mental health needs than boys. Ideally, contact with the juvenile justice system would serve as an opportunity to improve the health and trajectory of youth, yet research suggests that contact may have negative consequences for health and well-being. Drawing on juvenile justice and social determinants of health literature, this study examines gender differences in the influence of justice system contact among juveniles on depression, suicide ideation, and general health in young adulthood. Utilizing multiple waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health data, this study examines whether being stopped by police or being arrested differentially impacts health in young adulthood for male and female youth. Findings can inform equitable gender-based strategies for addressing health and well-being for justice-involved youth.

Authors

• Julie Krupa, Michigan State University

• Jordan Michael Parker, Michigan State University