Mental Disorder Profiles in Justice-involved Youth

As a population, justice-involved youth are characterized by high rates of comorbid mental disorders. However, past research has generally considered disorders singly. It is unclear whether disorders cluster together in a way that has implications for intervention and case management of justice-involved youth. To begin to explore this issue, cluster analysis was used to identify common diagnostic profiles in a sample of 195 youth who received court-ordered assessments. Six mental disorder clusters emerged, which were then examined in relation to youthsâ risk to reoffend, criminogenic needs, interventions received during probation, and recidivism. Two clusters were characterized by relatively higher reoffense rates: youth with disruptive behavior disorders alone, and youth with the profile of disruptive behavior disorders, learning disability, and ADHD. These clusters also significantly predicted odds of reoffense even after accounting for youthsâ static risk and criminogenic needs treatment. Implications for risk assessment and rehabilitation of justice-involved youth are discussed.M.A