The effects of cross-system collaboration on mental health and substance abuse problems of detained youth

This study examined the effects of a collaborative intervention targeting 107 juvenile detainees with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse problems. Method: Changes in mental health problems, substance use, and delinquency between pretest and 3- and 6-month follow-up were assessed. Three distinct clusters of detained youth characterized by varying levels of self-reported symptoms and behaviors across these three problem domains were included in a series of repeated measures analyses. Results: Significant time effects were found for anxiety and depression and for the frequency of substance use and delinquency between pretest and 3- and 6-month follow-up. Significant time by cluster interactions were found for mental health problems of obsessive-compulsive behavior and interpersonal sensitivity and for property and drug-related offending. Conclusions: Cross-system collaboration among mental health, substance abuse, and juvenile justice systems is a promising approach for treating delinquent youth with co-occurring problem behaviors.