NCJ Number
243619
Date Published
2004
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This research paper discusses the need to assess exposure to psychological trauma and posttraumatic stress in the juvenile justice population.
Abstract
This research paper from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network examines the need for assessing exposure to psychological trauma and posttraumatic stress in the juvenile justice population. Previous studies estimating the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the juvenile justice population have resulted in levels ranging from 3 percent to 50 percent of the population, eight times higher than other community samples of similar-age peers. In assessing levels of psychological trauma and PTSD in justice-involved youth, several factors need to be taken into account during the assessment: safety - an evaluation needs to be conducted of the child's current environmental and contextual risk; the assessment needs to be conducted from a multiperspective approach in order to reduce the likelihood of unintended bias or distortion; the format of the assessment is important because it can often influence children's and caregiver's responses; and developmental and ethnocultural factors need to be taken into account when establishing rapport with the children and their caregivers. The paper also highlights the problems that can occur when assessments are conducted within the various juvenile justice settings and discusses three basic approaches for assessing trauma and PTSD in children and adolescents that may work in the juvenile justice setting. References