title: Differential Effects of Mental Health Problems Among Truant Youths.
abstract: Research indicates at-risk youth are more likely to experience emotional and psychological problems. Young people who are often truant from school represent a group of at-risk youth, but one for which mental health issues are understudied. This study examined heterogeneity of mental health problems among a sample of 300 truant adolescents using latent class analysis (LCA). LCA indicated the sample of truants was best represented by four latent subgroups of youth with low mental health problems; high depression, low mania; high mania, low depression; and high depression and mania. These subgroups were examined in relation to sociodemographic and psychosocial measures at baseline and after truancy offenses. Results indicated general and unique differences in these covariates across the four latent classes. Service and practice implications of better understanding mental health issues of truant youth are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Criminology, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA. rdembo@usf.edu.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dembo
authors.affiliation: Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wareham
authors.affiliation: Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schmeidler
authors.affiliation: Department of Criminology, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA.
authors.forename: Rhissa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Briones-Robinson
authors.affiliation: University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Ken C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Winters
mesh_terms: D000041:Absenteeism; D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D008603:Mental Health; D012574:Schools