Early detection of children at risk for antisocial behaviour using data from routine preventive child healthcare

Anti-social behaviour and police contact among 13- to 15-year-old English adolescents with and without mild/moderate intellectual disability

OBJECTIVES

To describe the rates of anti-social behaviour (ASB) among adolescents with/without mild/moderate intellectual disability (MMID). To estimate whether any differences could be attributable to differences in exposure to extraneous risk factors.

DESIGN

Secondary analysis of the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England.

METHODS

Participants with MMID were identified through data linkage with educational records.

RESULTS

Parents of children with MMID were more likely to report police contact, children with MMID were more likely to self-report fighting/public disturbance, shoplifting and graffiti. When controlling for differences in exposure to extraneous risk factors, MMID was associated with increased rates of police contact and self-reported graffiti, no difference in self-reported shoplifting, reduced rates of self-reported fighting/public disturbance and vandalism.

CONCLUSIONS

Differences in the rates of exposure to extraneous risk factors play an important role in accounting for the differences in the prevalence of self-reported ASB among adolescents with and without MMID.

Recognizing and referring at-risk youth

Nearly 20% of children and adolescents in the US have at least one mental health condition yet less than half of these youth are engaged in treatment. Violent acts such as school shootings, suicide and even bullying have been attributed in part to inadequate mental health awareness, screening and follow-up care in youth. Children and adolescents with persistent behavioral problems, low academic functioning and high rates of psychosocial adversity are ideal candidates for mental health screening in schools and the community. School-based screening offers easier access and less stigma while community care offers the opportunity for more specialized psychiatric evaluation and treatment. There are simple validated screening tools for the most common mental health problems in youth such as anxiety, depression, substance abuse, autistic spectrum disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and suicidality. This paper provides an overview of the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents and recommends screening tools to facilitate recognition and referral for additional evaluation and therapeutic intervention.