Trauma Exposure, Protective Factors, and Mental Health Functioning of Substance-Abusing and Dependent Juvenile Offenders

This study examined the linkages of trauma exposure and protective factors with important aspects of mental health and behavioral functioning in a sample of youth presenting serious clinical difficulties. In general, results suggest that the effects of trauma vary considerably with the nature of the trauma. Specifically, findings indicated that, after controlling for important third variable explanations, violence exposure was linked with adolescent criminal offending, whereas sexual abuse was linked with psychiatric comorbidity. Additionally, several of the demographic and protective factors showed significant associations with measures of criminal activity and mental health. Implications of these findings are discussed and directions for future research are suggested.