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| Post Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD |
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
PTSD develops after exposure to an extreme traumatic stressor and whose personal experience of that stressor involves a life threatening event or injury (APA, 1994). Examples of youth maltreatment that result in PTSD include being physically and sexually abused with the threat of death of self or a family member if the incident is reported, watching a parent be brutalized or murdered, and suffering a gunshot wound as a victim of a gang fight. Youth who experience and survive these kinds of maltreatment are at risk for developing delinquent behavior. Recent findings report that youth who suffer trauma and violence in their environments are at a greater risk for developing PTSD (Buka, Stichick, Birdthistle, & Earls, 2001; Pelcovitz, Kaplan, DeRosa, Mandel, & Salzinger, 2000). Reports also suggest that girls with histories of sexual abuse are at increased risk of developing PTSD (Cuffe, Addy, Garrison, Waller, Jackson, McKeown, & Chilappagari, 1998) which could offer an explanation for the increased incidence of female offenders as well as the increased violent nature of their offenses. Both boys and girls are victims of sexual abuse and those who have been sexually abused have increased risk of PTSD and delinquency (Baerger, et al, 2001; Steiner, Garcia, & Matthews, 1997).
These findings suggest that youth in the juvenile justice system come to the system with a mental health disorder as well as develop mental health problems during their incarceration (Peterjl-Taylor, 1999). Anxiety, affective and disruptive behavior disorders are common in youth in juvenile justice (Boesky, 2002; Edens & Otto, 1997; Shelton, 2001) while substantial evidence presents an overrepresentation of youth with psychiatric disorders in juvenile justice (Costello, 1989; Edens & Otto, 1997; Kessler, 2002; Timmons-Mitchell, et al, 1997).
PTSD develops after exposure to an extreme traumatic stressor and whose personal experience of that stressor involves a life threatening event or injury (APA, 1994). Examples of youth maltreatment that result in PTSD include being physically and sexually abused with the threat of death of self or a family member if the incident is reported, watching a parent be brutalized or murdered, and suffering a gunshot wound as a victim of a gang fight. Youth who experience and survive these kinds of maltreatment are at risk for developing delinquent behavior. Recent findings report that youth who suffer trauma and violence in their environments are at a greater risk for developing PTSD (Buka, Stichick, Birdthistle, & Earls, 2001; Pelcovitz, Kaplan, DeRosa, Mandel, & Salzinger, 2000). Reports also suggest that girls with histories of sexual abuse are at increased risk of developing PTSD (Cuffe, Addy, Garrison, Waller, Jackson, McKeown, & Chilappagari, 1998) which could offer an explanation for the increased incidence of female offenders as well as the increased violent nature of their offenses. Both boys and girls are victims of sexual abuse and those who have been sexually abused have increased risk of PTSD and delinquency (Baerger, et al, 2001; Steiner, Garcia, & Matthews, 1997).
These findings suggest that youth in the juvenile justice system come to the system with a mental health disorder as well as develop mental health problems during their incarceration (Peterjl-Taylor, 1999). Anxiety, affective and disruptive behavior disorders are common in youth in juvenile justice (Boesky, 2002; Edens & Otto, 1997; Shelton, 2001) while substantial evidence presents an overrepresentation of youth with psychiatric disorders in juvenile justice (Costello, 1989; Edens & Otto, 1997; Kessler, 2002; Timmons-Mitchell, et al, 1997).
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HOPING FOR A BETTER LIFE: A MENTAL HEALTH PROCESS
VOICED BY YOUTHFUL OFFENDERS
By
Carol Elizabeth Bonham
HOPING FOR A BETTER LIFE: A MENTAL HEALTH PROCESS
VOICED BY YOUTHFUL OFFENDERS
By
Carol Elizabeth Bonham
