Mental Health and Violent Offending in Chicago Youth: A Multilevel Approach

• NCJ Number: 234515
• Author(s): Denise Paquette Boots Ph.D.; Jennifer Wareham Ph.D.
• Date Published: May 2011
• Length: 124 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2009-IJ-CX-0007
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)

Annotation

This research report explores the early identification of mental illness in youngsters as an important goal for researchers who are interested in determining if a causal relationship exists between various forms of mental disorder and offending.

Abstract

This study examines the role of various mental health problems on self-reported violence among Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN) across age cohorts while controlling for various community-, friend-, familial-, and individual-level risk factors that may also influence violence pathways. Results from the multilevel analyses suggest a continuity of oppositional defiant and antisocial personality problems over the life-course may predict violence. The implications of these findings are offered as they relate to public policy, treatment, and future research efforts. The early identification of mental illness in youngsters is an important goal for researchers who are interested in determining if a causal relationship exists between various forms of mental disorder and offending. Consideration of mental health problems is also of great importance to practitioners in criminal justice who treat youth presenting with co-morbid mental and behavioral issues. Building upon preliminary work, this study utilizes gender- and age-appropriate continuous indicators of psychopathology to explore the link between child and adolescent mental health and youth violence.