Northwestern Juvenile Project

GOALS

• To determine how alcohol, drug, and mental disorders develop as delinquent youth age into emerging adulthood and young adulthood. We are investigating persistence and change in psychiatric disorders and associated functional impairments.

• To investigate whether delinquent youth receive needed mental health and substance abuse services as they transition into adulthood. We will assess if and when juveniles who need services receive them.

• To study pathways and patterns of drug use, violence, and HIV/AIDS risk behaviors and infection. We will assess the development of these risky behaviors among our subjects, focusing on gender differences, health disparities, the antecedents of these risky behaviors, and how these behaviors are interrelated.

HOW IS THE NORTHWESTERN JUVENILE PROJECT UNIQUE?

Many studies have investigated general population youth to see who becomes delinquent. Far fewer studies examine health needs and outcomes among youth in the juvenile justice system. This is the first large-scale longitudinal study of health needs, service utilization, and outcomes in delinquent youth. We are studying only delinquent youth because they are at such a high risk for psychiatric disorders, HIV/AIDS risk behaviors, life-threatening problem behaviors, and death. Our study will provide data needed to guide the development of future interventions.

HOW CAN THE RESULTS OF THE LONGITUDINAL STUDY CHANGE PUBLIC POLICY AND IMPROVE SERVICES FOR DELINQUENT YOUTH?

Our study will provide needed data on a high-risk population. These data will help direct the types of prevention programs that best fit the needs of delinquent youth. Moreover, longitudinal data allow us to examine fundamental questions not possible in cross-sectional studies. For example: What are the most common patterns of comorbid disorders? Which variables predict the sequence of disorders as youth age? Do delinquent youth receive adequate services as they age from adolescence into early adulthood? Are youth with comorbid disorders more likely to be neglected by service systems than youth with only one disorder? How do HIV/AIDS risk behaviors (e.g., unprotected sex, trading sex for drugs, needle-risk behaviors) develop over time? Delinquent youth are also at great risk for perpetrating and being victimized by violence. We will determine those variables that best predict youths’ vulnerability to violence.

WHO IS CO-FUNDING THE NORTHWESTERN JUVENILE PROJECT?

The Northwestern Juvenile Project is currently funded by the following agencies: Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). Prior funding has been provided by the National Institute of Mental Health, NIH Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health, NIDA, SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, SAMHSA's Center for Mental Health Services, CSAP, CDC, OJJDP, Department of Labor, the William T. Grant Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.