European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Volume 19, Issue 5, 2010, Pages 431-440

Ethnic differences in mental health among incarcerated youths: Do Moroccan immigrant boys show less psychopathology than native Dutch boys? (Article) (Open Access)

Veen V.* , Stevens G. , Doreleijers T. , Van Der Ende J. , Vollebergh W.
  • a Department of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
  • b Department of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
  • c VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Faculty of Law, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
  • d Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam, Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, Netherlands
  • e Department of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands

Abstract

Psychiatric disorders are highly prevalent among incarcerated youth. However, whereas ethnic minority youths are overrepresented in the juvenile justice system, limited research is available on their mental health. In this study, differences in mental health problems between incarcerated adolescents of native Dutch and Moroccan origin, were examined. Child Behavior Checklist and Youth Self-Report scores were compared between incarcerated adolescents of native Dutch and Moroccan origin. Their scores were also compared to those of native Dutch and Moroccan immigrant youths in the general, non-incarcerated population. Native Dutch incarcerated adolescents showed higher levels of various mental health problems than incarcerated adolescents with a Moroccan background. Compared to the general population, incarcerated youths showed higher levels of mental health problems, but this deviation was much larger for native Dutch than for Moroccan immigrant youths. These ethnic differences in mental health problems could not be explained by ethnic differences in socio-economic background and social desirable answering tendencies. Incarcerated youths of Moroccan origin show less psychopathology than incarcerated native Dutch youths, which might be explained by disparities in sentencing procedures. © 2009 The Author(s).

Author Keywords

Mental health Incarcerated youth Ethnic differences

Index Keywords

Parents Netherlands immigrant regression analysis mental health human Ethnic Groups Prisoners social interaction Mental Disorders mental disease school child Humans ethnic difference Adolescent male Chi-Square Distribution Emigrants and Immigrants Socioeconomic Factors Psychiatric Status Rating Scales Article adult Child Behavior Checklist ethnicity crime Morocco Child
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-77953651243&doi=10.1007%2fs00787-009-0073-0&partnerID=40&md5=d4b00f0b74219d200dd0759009eac28d
DOI: 10.1007/s00787-009-0073-0
ISSN: 10188827
Cited by: 29
Original Language: English