Morbidity and mortality risk among the "forgotten few": why are girls in the justice system in such poor health?
The present study assessed the physical health of a population of girls sentenced to custody in a large US State via medical examinations and clinical assessments in adolescence and young adulthood. Findings indicated that injuries, obesity, and sexually transmitted diseases were the norm, with over 50% of the population meeting criteria for each of these health problems. A dose-response relationship was documented between childhood victimization and injuries and injury risk in adolescence and self-harm, HIV risk, physical health symptoms, and hospitalizations in young adulthood. The relationship between childhood victimization and poor adult physical health was fully mediated by health-risk behaviors in adolescence. Clinical and policy implications of the high mortality and morbidity risk among female juvenile offenders are discussed.
Department of Psychology and Social Behavior, University of California, Irvine, 4312 Social and Behavioral Sciences Gateway, Irvine, CA 92697, USA. codgers@uci.edu
Candice L
CL
Odgers
Summer J
SJ
Robins
Michael A
MA
Russell
D000293:Adolescent; D019548:Crime Victims; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D009017:Morbidity; D009026:Mortality; D011329:Prisoners; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012309:Risk-Taking; D015144:Southeastern United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014754:Violence