Clinical Trial

Trauma symptoms and outcomes with incarcerated adolescents: A retrospective study

The purpose of this study is to study the presence of adverse childhood experiences (ACES)/ trauma with male and female adolescents who have been incarcerated within the state of Georgia in the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). ACES have shown to be a predictor of adolescents engaging in serious, violent, and chronic offending (SVC). Trauma will be measured by whether the adolescent has a trauma-related diagnoses in their file (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder), reports of trauma in their file (mental health screening, mental health needs assessments, and psychodiagnostics evaluations) and a measured called the Structured Trauma-Related Experiences and Symptoms Screener (STRESS). The STRESS provides information about symptom clusters related to trauma. Specific factors on the STRESS include Intrusive Symptoms, Negative Alterations in Mood and Cognition, Avoidance, and Arousal Reactivity (Weinberger, Cruise, Auguste, & Samuels, 2022). The STRESS provides information on whether the adolescent likely meets full or partial criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder. We hypothesize the presence of a trauma-related symptoms will be associated with a greater number of untoward outcomes. Measured outcomes, that are available for this study include rearrests, readmissions into a juvenile facility, violence within the institution (both against peers and staff), write-ups for behavioral issues (e.g., contraband) within the institution, and time in isolation due to violent behavior.

• Juvenile Justice
• Trauma
• Youth