title: Post-traumatic stress symptoms among juvenile offenders in nigeria: implications for holistic service provisioning in juvenile justice administration.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is hardly any study examining exposure to traumatic events and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among juvenile justice populations in Nigeria or any part of sub-Saharan Africa.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined the prevalence and trauma determinants of PTSD among a cohort of juvenile justice inmates in Nigeria, compared with a cohort of school-going adolescents.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ninety percent (90%) of the juvenile justice inmates reported exposure to at least one lifetime traumatic event with higher mean incident events, compared with 60% among the comparison group (p=.001). Juvenile justice inmates had significantly higher prevalence rate of current and lifetime PTSD than the comparison group (current: 5.8% vs. 1.4%; lifetime: 9.7% vs. 2.8%, p<.05). Mean incident traumatic event was statistically significantly higher among juvenile justice inmates who had PTSD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Posttraumatic stress symptoms are common among adolescents coming in contact with the juvenile justice system. Implications for holistic service provisioning in juvenile justice administration are discussed.
authors.forename: Olayinka
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Atilola
authors.forename: Olayinka
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Omigbodun
authors.forename: Tolulope
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bella-Awusah
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006801:Humans; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D011329:Prisoners / Q000523:psychology*; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult