title: Joint consideration of distal and proximal predictors of premature mortality among serious juvenile offenders.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Juvenile offenders are at heightened risk of death in adolescence and young adulthood compared to adolescents in the general population. The current study extends previous research by testing the joint contributions of distal (historical and demographic characteristics) and proximal (closer to the time of the death) predictors of mortality. We also tested whether proximal variables were potential mediators of the effects of distal variables on mortality.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 1,354 serious juvenile offenders, 45 (3.32%) of whom were deceased by the completion of the study. Data were collected through self-reports and official records.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant distal predictors of mortality were being African-American and having a history of substance use disorder. Proximal predictors that added significantly to prediction included gun carrying, gang membership, and substance use problems. Potential mediators of the effects of substance use disorder history were continuing substance use problems and gang membership. However, proximal variables could not explain the heightened risk for African-Americans.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gang membership, gun carrying, and substance use problems are risk factors for early mortality among juvenile offenders, but they do not explain the elevated risk for death among African-Americans. Thus, further research is needed to understand the mechanisms underlying risk for premature death among African-American adolescent offenders.
authors: Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-1104, USA. laurie.chassin@asu.edu
authors: Laurie
authors: L
authors: Chassin
authors: Alex R
authors: AR
authors: Piquero
authors: Sandra H
authors: SH
authors: Losoya
authors: Andre D
authors: AD
authors: Mansion
authors: Carol A
authors: CA
authors: Schubert
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002423:Cause of Death; D007174:Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D005389:Firearms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000401:mortality; D061213:Mortality, Premature; D012306:Risk; D012737:Sex Factors; D012933:Social Identification; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000401:mortality; D014481:United States; D014754:Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult