Use of the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument to assess mental health problems in young people within an Australian youth detention centre

The prevalence of mental illness in young people in custody over time: a comparison of three surveys in New South Wales

Few studies have examined the prevalence of mental illness in young people over time within the same jurisdiction. In the current study, we compared data from three large surveys of youth in custody in New South Wales, conducted in 2003, 2009 and 2015. We examined rates of mental illness, self-harm and suicidal behaviours, substance use and childhood trauma and found little consistent change over time, though some fluctuations were observed regarding certain mental illnesses and substance use. We also descriptively compared findings with observed rates for the general population and found that young people in custody showed higher levels of all examined variables. In sum, these data suggest little improvement in the well-being of young people in custody in New South Wales over time. Better identification and treatment of these issues are vital if young people are to be prevented from becoming enmeshed in the criminal justice system.

Mental Health Needs of Adolescents Assessed During the Years of Global Financial Crisis: a Systematic Review

Introduction:

Mental health issues during adolescence are common and worsen when financial crisis occur across the world. Identification of mental health needs as they are expressed by adolescents themselves is important for efficient mental health promotion interventions.

Aim:

This systematic review examined studies on the mental health needs among adolescents from their own perspective.

Methods:

Four databases were searched between 2008-2018, starting with 2008 when the global financial crisis began.

Results:

The seven studies that fulfilled the inclusion criteria used different data collection methods. Emotional and behavioral problems and hyperactivity were found, while adolescents’ own perceptions also showed positive indicators for mental health. Most studies focus on specific adolescent populations, while the general adolescent population needs more attention as a target group for mental health interventions.

Conclusion:

Interventions should address the needs as they are identified by adolescents in order to promote their mental health. Researchers should develop an instrument which assesses exclusively the adolescents’ mental health needs.

Validation of the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument with a looked after population

The Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument-version 2 (MAYSI-2) was developed to help identify mental health needs of young people admitted to youth detention centres. Only one study has applied the tool to a UK population and none have looked at young people who live in residential and secure care in Scotland. This study aimed to assess the validity of the MAYSI-2 in Scotland with a looked after and accommodated population. Boys and girls in a large education and care centre were asked to complete the MAYSI-2 within 72 hours of being accommodated. A total of 168 males and 69 females with a mean age of 15 completed the tool. Substantial levels of mental health need were identified. Girls appeared to have higher needs on all areas, bar alcohol and substance misuse. The MAYSI-2 had good internal consistency and exploratory factor analysis showed good overlap with the tool's original factor model. As a result, there can be more confidence in the validity and consistency of the tool with this population. This is also further evidence of the high need of this population, particularly girls.

Screening for mental health needs of New Zealand youth in secure care facilities using the MAYSI-2

BACKGROUND

Young people admitted to secure facilities generally have particularly high rates of mental, emotional and behavioural problems, but little is known about the mental health needs of this group in New Zealand.

AIMS

To describe prevalence of probable mental health disorder and related needs among young people in secure facilities in New Zealand.

METHODS

Massachusetts youth screening instrument - second version (MAYSI-2) data were obtained from the records of young people admitted to one secure care facility (n = 204) within a 12 month period. We used descriptive statistics to determine prevalence of problems overall and multivariate analysis of variance to compare MAYSI-2 scores between gender and ethnic groups.

RESULTS

Nearly 80% of these young people scored above the 'caution' or 'warning' cut-off on the MAYSI-2, a substantially higher proportion than reported in studies in other countries. There was a tendency for girls and for Maori and Pacific Islander subgroups to have a higher rate of probable psychopathology.

CONCLUSIONS

Young people in secure facilities in New Zealand have substantial service needs. Early intervention that engages them in services upon first contact with the youth justice system might help reduce this burden. Further validation of the MAYSI-2 in New Zealand may be warranted because of the unique ethnic make-up of these young offenders. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A Study of the Impact of Screening for Poly-Victimization in Juvenile Justice: The Rocky Road to a Successful Investigation in the Real World

Poly-victimization during formative developmental periods represents an important focus for screening and assessment in settings and populations in which interpersonal violence is pervasive. This article describes the multistage evolution of a research project designed to empirically test a poly-victimization enhancement of a widely used and validated behavioral health screening tool for youth using retrospective and prospective archival juvenile justice system outcome data. Several operational and methodological revisions to the project's design and procedures were necessitated by barriers that arose as a result of unforeseen shifts in the host juvenile justice system's policies and personnel. The present report describes real-world challenges that face investigators working in public sector systems, and highlights the key role of establishing long-term collaborative professional relationships with personnel at all levels in those systems based on providing services and evaluation data that meet the system's core goals, responsibilities, and mission. Also highlighted are the methodological and logistical adaptations needed to successfully accomplish a project's internal objectives while striking a balance between flexibility in operational and methodological tactics on one hand, and adherence to ethical, conceptual/clinical, and methodological principles on the other hand.

The validity and clinical utility of the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument--version 2 (MAYSI-2) in the UK

BACKGROUND

The Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument - version 2 (MAYSI-2) is designed to assist in identifying the mental health needs of young people admitted to secure establishments. To date, very few studies have assessed the MAYSI-2 outside the USA.

AIMS

This study aimed to assess the validity and clinical utility of the MAYSI-2 in England.

METHODS

Boys newly admitted into one large young offenders' institution, were consecutively interviewed individually and completed the MAYSI-2, the Youth Self Report (YSR), which capture similar syndrome scales - and the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS), which allows for making psychiatric diagnoses.

RESULTS

Two hundred and six boys, of average age 16.5 years, completed all assessments. According to the K-SADS, co-morbidity of psychiatric disorders was high (80% of the sample). The MAYSI-2 showed good convergent validity but poorer discriminant validity with the YSR. The MAYSI-2 and YSR corresponded with both conceptually and non-conceptually relevant diagnostic domains.

CONCLUSIONS

The poor ability of the MAYSI-2 and YSR to discriminate and specify disorders is likely to reflect the high rates of co-morbidity. The fact that 90% of the participants reached the caution cut-off for any scale on the MAYSI-2, while suggesting its limited use as a screening tool for this sample, is probably best reflective of the high levels of psychopathology of incarcerated young people in England and Wales since particular efforts to divert as many as possible from custody. A more holistic and comprehensive approach to assessing health needs on admission into custody may be necessary for such a population.

Screening Incarcerated Juveniles Using the MAYSI-2

The high prevalence of mental health disorders among incarcerated juveniles is a matter of national and global concern. Juvenile justice personnel need accurate screening measures that identify youth requiring immediate mental health services. The purpose of this study was threefold: (a) to examine the utility of the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument, Version 2 (MAYSI-2) in identifying juveniles with mental health concerns in a large sample of juveniles (N = 4,009), (b) to provide data regarding rates of identified mental health needs in incarcerated youth, and (c) to provide descriptive comparisons to other studies using the MAYSI-2. Mean scores of subscales were compared with the MAYSI-2 normative samples and other recent studies. Results indicated that this population has a high occurrence of mental health symptoms and there is high variability in the severity of the symptoms. In addition, a multivariate analysis of variance test found significant differences in mental health problems across ethnic groups.

Caution or warning? A validity study of the MAYSI-2 with juvenile offenders

Given the high prevalence of mental health and substance use disorders in the juvenile justice system and the emphasis on efficient screening and referrals, the current study sought to further validate the use of the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument version 2 (MAYSI-2). Using data from institutionalized delinquents (N=836) committed to the California Youth Authority, finite mixture modeling was employed to identify distinct latent classes based on MAYSI-2 scale scores. Identified classes were then compared across a range of covariates, including prior offenses, official records of misconduct, and multiple measures of mental health and psychological well-being. Findings revealed a three-class, gradient-based structure: low distress (n=380), moderate distress (n=327), and high distress (n=129). Overall, the MAYSI-2 identified juvenile offenders with mental health and substance use issues, but it did not differentiate youths with respect to offending patterns.

Health needs of Australian Indigenous young people entering detention

AIM

To determine whether there are different health needs associated with differences between Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth in detention in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

METHODS

All records of young people (aged 10 to 21 years) taken into detention in Brisbane Queensland over the period 1 July 2001 to 30 June 2009 were reviewed, and data were extracted documenting the mental health and related behaviours of those referred to the Mental Health, Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Service. International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems - Tenth Revision (ICD-10) criteria were applied to a clinical interview. ICD-10 diagnostic outcomes and reason for referral are presented by Indigenous status and age.

RESULTS

Young male (under 14 years of age) Indigenous respondents are substantially over-represented in youth in detention. Indigenous youth in detention are disproportionately referred and diagnosed with a substance use problem. Referral and diagnosis of substance use problems was not as commonly found for non-Indigenous youth.

CONCLUSIONS

Young Indigenous persons are substantially over-represented in those taken into detention in Queensland. This study shows significant differences in relation to mental health and substance use assessment outcomes for Indigenous and non-Indigenous young people in youth detention in Queensland. Further research focusing on service delivery for Indigenous young people should focus on their specific needs.

Detecting psychotic symptoms in Indigenous populations: a review of available assessment tools

As efforts to shorten the duration of untreated psychosis increase, there is a need for short screening instruments to identify those at-risk. It is feared that remote Indigenous populations, manifesting many of the risk factors associated with schizophrenia and often lacking access to adequate mental health services, may be overlooked as the general population effort shifts towards early detection. This article aimed to review studies investigating psychotic symptoms in Indigenous communities in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and United States of America and aimed to evaluate the usefulness of the instruments. Eleven relevant studies were identified using seven unique instruments. The available instruments assessed psychotic symptoms to varying degrees, although no screener for early detection was found thus supporting concerns that these disadvantaged populations do not have access to suitable support enabling early detection of psychosis. We recommend that a rapid screening tool for detecting at-risk individuals be developed and validated for community use in Indigenous populations living in remote areas.

The insidious problem inside: mental health problems of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People in custody

OBJECTIVE

Despite recognition of the extremely high rates of mental illness among custodial populations and the fact that Indigenous people represent around one-quarter of Australia's custodial population, little is known about the mental health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in custody. Mental health is an important component of social and emotional wellbeing for Indigenous people and this paper considers current evidence regarding the mental health status of Indigenous Australians in custody.

METHOD

A systematic review was undertaken of the quantitative literature relating to the mental health problems of Indigenous people in custody in Australia.

RESULTS

Despite high incarceration rates for Indigenous people and evidence that both mental health problems and rates of mental illness are extremely high in this group, studies in this area are few and limited in scope.

CONCLUSION

The first step toward addressing the marked social and mental health problems for Indigenous people in custody is to systematically identify the nature and extent of these problems.