Evaluating the Clinical Utility of the MAYSI-2 Among African American Male Juvenile Offenders

This study examined the clinical utility of the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument–Second Version (MAYSI-2) among African American (AA) incarcerated youth and used White incarcerated youth as a comparison group. Data were analyzed for 314 incarcerated youth (193 AA offenders and 121 White offenders) of ages 13–17 years who were adjudicated delinquent from a southeastern United States medium security residential facility. Seven logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) models were built to determine whether the MAYSI-2 subscales accurately identify committed AA male incarcerated youth who have a mental illness diagnosis on file. Analyses also examined how well the MAYSI-2 subscales identify specific mental illnesses among AA-committed male incarcerated youth. Results demonstrated that no MAYSI-2 subscales accurately identified and categorized AA-committed male incarcerated youth who have mental disorders, and only two subscales (Alcohol/Drug Use, Depressed/Anxious) identified and categorized White committed male incarcerated youth who have a mental disorder. Additional results and implications for research and practice are provided.