title: Psychological distress in an incarcerated juvenile population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study sought to examine the prevalence and correlates of psychological distress among incarcerated youth in Taiwan using the 5-item Brief Symptom Rating Scale (BSRS-5).
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional census survey study was conducted in 2007 among all the juveniles incarcerated in 23 correctional institutions (n = 1505) in Taiwan using a self-administered anonymous questionnaire. Of the total 1505 participants, 1363 completed the questionnaire (91% response rate). We excluded 494 participants as they were aged either over 17 years or under 12 years. Psychological distress was measured among the final 869 participants using the BSRS-5. Psychological distress was defined as a total score of at least 6 out of 20. Those identified as having psychological distress were then pooled into a case group and compared with control participants without psychological distress.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of psychological distress was 44.1%. Among the case group, sleep disturbance (36.8%) had the highest prevalence of severe or very severe symptoms, followed by depression (34.7%), and hostility (27.9%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that correlates of psychological distress included the following: being female; having a poor self-rated health status; having joined a gang; having experienced life disturbances prior to the current imprisonment; and having ever had a smoking habit.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Significant sex differences were found for both the overall BSRS-5, as well as for each individual item of the BSRS-5. Treatment programs and interventions should be carefully tailored to address the mental health needs of juvenile inmates in a sex-specific manner using a multifaceted approach.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Indigenous Health and Preventive Medicine Research Center, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shu-Yu
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Lyu
authors.affiliation: Department of Education and Research, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ying-Chen
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Chi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Farabee
authors.affiliation: Indigenous Health and Preventive Medicine Research Center, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Educational Measurement and Statistics, National Taichung University of Education, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Liang-Ting
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.affiliation: Indigenous Health and Preventive Medicine Research Center, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: mingbeen@ntu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Ming-Been
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Leisure and Recreation Management, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Feng-En
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Sciences, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Donald E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Morisky
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000523:psychology*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011329:Prisoners / Q000523:psychology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: incarcerated population; juvenile; psychological distress