TY - JOUR
T1 - Mental Health Screening in Juvenile Justice Settings
T2 - Evaluating the Utility of the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument, Version 2
AU - Shulman, Elizabeth P.
AU - Bechtold, Jordan
AU - Kelly, Erin L.
AU - Cauffman, Elizabeth
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 SAGE Publications.
PY - 2018/10/1
Y1 - 2018/10/1
N2 - Allocating limited mental health resources is a challenge for juvenile justice facilities. We evaluated the clinical utility of the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument, Version 2 (MAYSI-2)—an instrument designed to aid in this process—in three subsamples of justice-involved youth (ages 14-17): detained girls (n = 69), detained boys (n = 130), and incarcerated boys (n = 373). For perspective, we compared its performance (in the incarcerated subsample) to that of the Youth Self-Report (YSR), a more widely-used screen. The MAYSI-2 subscales were moderately useful for detecting relevant diagnoses, and differences were observed across samples. However, as a general mental health screen, the MAYSI-2 performed well (and comparably to the YSR), correctly classifying 66% to 75% of youth. When used to differentiate youth with any and without any disorder, both instruments were effective. Given the MAYSI-2’s practical advantages over the YSR (lower cost, easier administration), it may be a better option for juvenile facilities.
AB - Allocating limited mental health resources is a challenge for juvenile justice facilities. We evaluated the clinical utility of the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument, Version 2 (MAYSI-2)—an instrument designed to aid in this process—in three subsamples of justice-involved youth (ages 14-17): detained girls (n = 69), detained boys (n = 130), and incarcerated boys (n = 373). For perspective, we compared its performance (in the incarcerated subsample) to that of the Youth Self-Report (YSR), a more widely-used screen. The MAYSI-2 subscales were moderately useful for detecting relevant diagnoses, and differences were observed across samples. However, as a general mental health screen, the MAYSI-2 performed well (and comparably to the YSR), correctly classifying 66% to 75% of youth. When used to differentiate youth with any and without any disorder, both instruments were effective. Given the MAYSI-2’s practical advantages over the YSR (lower cost, easier administration), it may be a better option for juvenile facilities.
KW - Juvenile justice
KW - MAYSI-2
KW - delinquent
KW - mental health
KW - screening
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U2 - 10.1177/0887403416650250
DO - 10.1177/0887403416650250
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85021389821
SN - 0887-4034
VL - 29
SP - 849
EP - 872
JO - Criminal Justice Policy Review
JF - Criminal Justice Policy Review
IS - 8
ER -