ABSTRACT

Our study shows the presence of elevated rates of mental disorders, lack of attendance to formal education and impaired family functioning among youth under court-mandated treatment. Studies conducted to determine the protective factors affecting the mental health of these children are limited. It is important that the policies to be developed in this area are preventive and protective and planned in a way that covers the overall of public.

One hundred thirty-five children (55.6% females) with a mean age of 12.3±4.2 years were included in the study. It was found that 17.0% of youth had left formal education while only 21.5 % did not fulfill criteria for a psychiatric diagnosis. Most common diagnoses were posttraumatic stress disorder (14.1%), attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (11.1%), conduct disorder (11.1%) and major depressive disorder (11.1%). Lack of attendance to formal education (p=0.000), irregular attendance to schools (p=0.031), being a victim of abuse (p=0.033) and presence of psychopathology (p=0.019) were significantly more common among older age group. Paternal and maternal histories of psychopathology were reported in 25.2% and 21.5%; respectively. Presence of mental illness in one of the parents was associated with elevated rates of domestic abuse (p=0.002) and court mandated foster placement (p=0.007).

Records of cases followed in our clinic between March 2018 and January 2021 under court-mandated treatment were evalated retrospectively for socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of youth, parental characteristics and reasons for mandated treatment.

In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the socio-demogaphic features of cases followed up at the child psychiatry department due to mandation of courts (i.e. "health measures"), the reasons of court orders, psychiatric diagnoses and risk factors.