Do Anxiety and Depression Symptoms Contribute to Risk for Restrictive Behavioral Interventions for Detained Youth?
摘要
Given the negative social and emotional outcomes associated with restrictive interventions within juvenile detention facilities, it is important to examine risk factors for their use. Levels of internalizing symptomatology may uniquely present as a risk factor, as well as potentially moderate associations between perceptions of containment and restrictive interventions found in the literature.
ObjectiveTo examine the associations between anxiety, depression, and perceived containment and facility personnel’s use and frequency of restrictive behavioral interventions. Given the multi-tiered levels of restrictive intervention (i.e., higher restrictions for more serious misconduct), associations were examined at different levels of restrictive intervention.
MethodDetained youth (N = 124; 71.8% Male; 11–17 years old, Mage=15.61, SDage=1.38) self-reported anxiety and depression symptoms and perceptions of containment. Facilities reported Tier 2 (e.g., room restrictions, lockdowns) and Tier 3 (e.g., restraints, more permanent restrictions) restrictive intervention use (i.e., Risk) and Count for each youth.
ResultsSymptoms of anxiety and perceived containment were negatively associated with Tier 2 Count. The association between perceived containment and Tier 3 Risk depended on levels of anxiety and depression while the association between perceived containment and Tier 3 Count depended on levels of anxiety. Overall, low levels of perceived containment were only associated with Tier 3 interventions when levels of internalizing symptoms were low.
ConclusionsFindings help clarify individual-level factors that increase susceptibility to restrictive interventions and offer insight into potential targets to limit their use.