Citation

Dembo R, Briones-Robinson R, Barrett K, Winters KC, Schmeidler J, Ungaro R, Karas LM, Belenko S, Gulledge LM. J. Emot. Behav. Disord. (Austin) 2013; 21(3): 176-192.

Affiliation

Criminology Department University of South Florida 4202 E. Fowler Avenue Tampa, FL 33620.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Hammill Institute on Disabilities, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1063426611421006

PMID

23914129

Abstract

The relationship between substance use, mental health disorders, and delinquency among youth is well documented. What has received far less attention from researchers is the relationship between these issues among truant youth, in spite of studies that document truants are a population at-risk for negative outcomes. The present study bridges this gap by (1) examining psychosocial functioning and delinquency among truants, and (2) assessing the efficacy of a Brief Intervention (BI) in reducing delinquent behavior over time. To meet these objectives, data were collected from 183 truant youth enrolled in an ongoing NIDA-funded BI project. Informed by a developmental damage perspective, a structural equation model was formulated and estimated. Interim results provide overall support for the model, and suggest the BI may be a promising, innovative intervention for truant youth. Service delivery implications and directions for future analyses are discussed.

Language: en