Abstract

Youth involved in the juvenile justice system are at elevated risk for suicide and co-occurring mental health symptoms. This study aims to examine the suicide risk and treatment needs of court-involved, non-incarcerated (CINI) youth, and to understand the acceptability and effectiveness of implementing a mental health screening procedure at time of first court contact. By embedding a forensic mental health screening tool into the intake process of a family court diversionary program, a total of 891 youth (aged 12–18) were assessed using the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument-2 (MAYSI-2). Analysis of screening responses revealed 12.5% of youth indicated risk for suicide with risk levels differentiated by youth sex, race and ethnicity. Suicide ideation was also significantly associated with flagging, an indication of clinical risk, on all other scales of the MAYSI-2, as well as subsequent referrals to treatment. Screening for suicide at first point of court contact within an existing diversionary program may serve as a critical and effective point of intervention for youth in need.

摘要

参与少年司法系统的青少年自杀和同时出现精神健康症状的风险更高。本研究旨在调查涉及法庭的非监禁 (CINI) 青年的自杀风险和治疗需求，并了解在首次接触法庭时实施心理健康筛查程序的可接受性和有效性。通过将法医心理健康筛查工具嵌入家庭法庭转移程序的接收过程中，共有 891 名青少年（12-18 岁）使用马萨诸塞州青少年筛查工具 2 (MAYSI-2) 进行了评估。对筛查反应的分析显示，12.5% 的青少年表示有自杀风险，风险水平因青少年性别、种族和民族而异。自杀意念也与标记显着相关，标记临床风险，在 MAYSI-2 的所有其他量表上，以及随后的治疗转诊。在现有的转移程序中，在与法院接触的第一时间点筛查自杀可能是对有需要的青少年进行干预的关键和有效点。