Mental Health Symptoms Explaining the Link between Maltreatment and Delinquent Behavior: Implications for Prevention and Intervention across Service Sectors

Background and Purpose: It is generally recognized that experiencing childhood maltreatment puts youth at increased risk for subsequent delinquency. Maltreated youth initiate delinquent behaviors earlier (Rivera & Widom, 1990), continue to have more arrests into adulthood (Maxfield & Widom, 1996), and are more likely to become violent offenders than non-maltreated youth (Lewis, et al., 1994). Yet, little is known about the process by which victimized children become juvenile delinquents. A clearer understanding of intervening factors in the maltreatment-delinquency relationship would illuminate interventions necessary to prevent delinquent behavior among maltreated youth. The child welfare literature has identified mental health problems as likely consequences of maltreatment, and the delinquency literature indicates mental health problems are significant risk factors for delinquency. However, no known study has joined these two bodies of research into a single model examining the role of mental health problems in linking past maltreatment to delinquent behavior.

Methods: The current study identifies mental health factors that intervene in the maltreatment-delinquency relationship among a national sample of youth involved in the child welfare system (N=1179). Data from face-to-face interviews with youth (ages 11-18) and their caseworkers who participated in the National Survey on Child and Adolescent Well-being (NSCAW) was analyzed using latent growth curve modeling to determine whether self-reported internalizing mental health symptoms were significant mediators in the maltreatment-delinquency relationship. In addition, longitudinal data from four waves of collection were analyzed to determine whether mental health problems explained the effect of maltreatment on changes in delinquency over time.

Results: Approximately 50% of this child welfare sample self-reported delinquent behavior. Model fit was good (÷2=41.12; p=.256). The indirect effect of maltreatment on delinquency through mental health (b=.028; SE=.012) had a bootstrapped confidence interval (.008 to .048; p=.017) indicating that internalizing mental health problems, including depression and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), were significant intervening factors linking maltreatment and delinquency. Specifically, youth who experienced more severe maltreatment reported significantly higher levels of mental health problems, and these mental health problems, in turn, were associated with increased delinquent behavior. Mental health problems were not only associated with higher rates of initial delinquent behavior, but were also related to consistently higher delinquency over time.

Implications: The current study identifies mental health problems as modifiable intervening factors in the maltreatment-delinquency relationship. These findings have implications for both child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Child welfare systems should improve screening methods for depression and PTSD, including use of empirically-based assessments and standardized training for caseworkers tasked with identifying youth at risk. Furthermore, evidence-based mental health interventions for youth with symptoms should be made available and systematically utilized to prevent delinquent behavior among child welfare-involved youth. In regards to juvenile justice, youth with known histories of maltreatment should be provided with mental health interventions to address past victimization and associated mental health problems as means of reducing recidivism. Finally, improved sector-to-sector collaboration, including concurrent case planning and dual jurisdiction is necessary for providing continuity of services to youth who bridge child welfare, mental health, and juvenile justice systems.