Childhood traumatic experiences and mental health problems in sexually offending and non-sexually offending juveniles.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the relationship between a history of childhood abuse and mental health problems in juveniles who sexually offended (JSOs) over and above general offending behavior.


METHODS
A sample of 44 JSOs incarcerated in two juvenile detention centers in the Netherlands between May 2008 and March 2014 were examined for childhood abuse history (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form) and mental health problems (Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument-Version 2). Furthermore, the connection between childhood abuse and mental health problems in JSOs was compared to a sample of 44 propensity score matched juveniles who offended non-sexually (non-JSOs).


RESULTS
In JSOs, sexual abuse was related to anger problems, suicidal ideation, and thought disturbance. These associations were significantly stronger in JSOs than in non-JSOs.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that the relationship between childhood abuse and both internalizing and externalizing mental health problems is of more salience for understanding sexual offending than non-sexual offending, and should, therefore, be an important focus in the assessment and treatment of JSOs.
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical, P.O. Box 303, 1115 ZG Duivendrecht, Amsterdam, The Netherlands ; Department of Forensic Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychiatric University Hospitals Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Cyril
C
Boonmann
Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA USA.
Thomas
T
Grisso
Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC Canada.
Laura S
LS
Guy
Curium-LUMC, Leiden University Medical Center and Academic Workplace Forensic Care for Youth, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Olivier F
OF
Colins
Curium-LUMC, Leiden University Medical Center and Academic Workplace Forensic Care for Youth, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Eva A
EA
Mulder
Curium-LUMC, Leiden University Medical Center and Academic Workplace Forensic Care for Youth, Leiden, The Netherlands.
P
P
Vahl
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical, P.O. Box 303, 1115 ZG Duivendrecht, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Lucres M C
LM
Jansen
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical, P.O. Box 303, 1115 ZG Duivendrecht, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Theo A H
TA
Doreleijers
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical, P.O. Box 303, 1115 ZG Duivendrecht, Amsterdam, The Netherlands ; Curium-LUMC, Leiden University Medical Center and Academic Workplace Forensic Care for Youth, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Robert R J M
RR
Vermeiren
Childhood sexual abuse; MAYSI-2; Mental health problems; Sexual offending juveniles