Adolescents’ Quality of Life and Mental Health Needs during the Initial Phase in a Closed Institution

Abstract

This study investigated adolescents’ Quality of Life and mental health needs during the first weeks in a closed institution for mandatory care and treatment to inform (gender-specific) rehabilitation. Questionnaires concerning socio-demographic variables, Quality of Life and mental health needs were administered (n = 182; 90 boys and 92 girls; mean age = 16.2). Given the high prevalence of mental health needs in this study population and their significant negative correlation with QoL, we argue for a holistic view on rehabilitation and to broaden treatment aims in youth forensic care by including not only determinants of recidivism but also determinants of QoL.

Keywords:

• Quality of Life
• mental health needs
• adolescents
• detention
• rehabilitation

Notes

1 This scale is only used for boys, as a “thought disturbance” scale could not be identified for girls, using MAYSI-2 items (Grisso & Barnum, 2006).

2 For girls, there is the item “Have you ever been raped, or been in danger of getting raped?”; for boys, there is the item “Have people talked about you a lot when you’re not there?”

3 *Cronbach’s α guidelines of interpretation (Gliem & Gliem, 2003, referring to George & Mallery, 2003): >.9 excellent, >.8 good, >.7 acceptable, >.6 questionable, >5 poor, and <.5 unacceptable.

** MIC value guidelines of interpretation (Colins & Grisso, 2019, referring to Clarke & Watson, 1995): should be at minimum in the range of .15 to .50 to be considered adequate.

4 Gender, living situation before detention, detention history, experience of financial problems < year, victim of violence in < year, ever been hospitalized for psychological problems, < year been hospitalized for psychological problems, visited a professional caregiver due to psychological problems, MAYSI-scale ‘alcohol-drugs’, MAYSI-scale ‘angry-irritable’, MAYSI-scale ‘depressed-anxious’, MAYSI-scale ‘suicide ideation’, MAYSI-scale ‘somatic complaints’.

5 Experience of financial problems < year, < year been hospitalized for psychological problems, visited a professional caregiver due to psychological problems, MAYSI-scale ‘alcohol-drugs’, MAYSI-scale ‘angry-irritable’, MAYSI-scale ‘depressed-anxious’, MAYSI-scale ‘suicide ideation’, MAYSI-scale ‘somatic complaints’, and MAYSI-scale ‘traumatic experiences boys’.

6 Living situation before detention, detention history, experience of financial problems < year, visited a professional caregiver due to psychological problems, MAYSI-scale ‘alcohol-drugs’, MAYSI-scale ‘angry-irritable’, MAYSI-scale ‘depressed-anxious’, MAYSI-scale ‘suicide ideation’, MAYSI-scale ‘traumatic experiences girls’, MAYSI-scale ‘somatic complaints’.