文摘
Rising arrest rates for adolescent females have prompted researchers to examine the risk factors underlying female delinquency, particularly factors related to PTSD. This study sought to examine the sensitivity of the most widely used instrument for mental health screening in juvenile detention, the MAYSI-2, to predict PTSD in delinquent youth. Regression analyses revealed that for males and females, the MAYSI-2 scales measuring Anger/Irritability, Depression/Anxiety, and Traumatic Experiences contributed to the prediction of simple PTSD. Whereas the same linear combination of MAYSI-2 scores also contributed to the prediction of complex PTSD for males, only Anger/Irritability and Depression/Anxiety contributed for females. Additionally, the ROC curves technique revealed that the MAYSI-2 Traumatic Experiences scale is a moderately accurate predictor of simple PTSD in female and male delinquents. These results suggest that future research is needed to determine whether the Traumatic Experiences scale is sensitive to females' complex trauma histories.