Over 100,000 juveniles are held in detention facilities yearly in the United States. Incarcerated juveniles are more likely than adolescents in the community to engage in health-compromising behaviors. The overall purpose of this study was to examine how risk factors (gender, victim of sexual abuse, violent home environment and substance use in the home) increase the chance of incarcerated adolescents engaging in health-compromising behaviors (current alcohol, drug, and prescription drug abuse, risky sexual behavior, behavioral manifestations of depressive symptoms, outward display of temper and engaging in physical fights). Additionally, the study examined how protective factors (in school, positive peer influence, perceived family support, mental health, alcohol and drug treatment) mediate the relationship between risk factors and engaging in health-compromising behaviors. This study was guided by a conceptual framework synthesized from Jessor and Jessor’s (1977) problem behavior theory and from the literature.
Data were analyzed using two-step hierarchical regression analysis. Major findings include how important staying in school and having positive peer influence are as protective factors against engaging in health-compromising behaviors and how hard it is to overcome the effects of living in a violent home environment. These findings suggest that school-based interventions, peer mentoring programs and the early identification and treatment of juveniles from a violent home environment may lead to better health outcomes for at-risk youth.