Abstract
Objectives
To determine if there is a gap between behavioral symptoms and previously recognized
mental health conditions in youth victims of peer assault injuries and to describe
gender differences in psychological symptoms.
Methods
A cross-sectional comparison of rates of previously diagnosed mental health conditions
and clinical range behavioral symptoms as measured by the Child Behavior Checklist
(CBCL) in 168 youths (range, 10–15 years old) presenting to the emergency department
(ED) after an interpersonal assault injury. The Fisher exact test was used for comparisons.
Results
Mental health symptoms were common among assault-injured youths. More than half of
the youths demonstrating clinical range symptoms on the attention problems or anxious/depressed
scales of the CBCL had no prior diagnosis of these conditions. Girls were more likely
than boys to exhibit clinical range aggressive behavior symptoms (odds ratio [OR],
3.61; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.64–7.97). Aggressive behavior was associated
with clinical range scores on the other problem scales of the CBCL.
Conclusions
After an ED visit for an assault-related injury, less than half of 10 to 15 year olds
with significant symptoms of common mental conditions reported having a previously
diagnosed disorder, reflecting a burden of unmet psychological needs. An ED visit
for an assault injury provides an opportunity to screen for emotional/behavioral symptoms
and to refer to appropriate follow-up mental health care.
Keywords
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: November 24, 2011
Accepted:
October 12,
2011
Received:
March 19,
2011
Footnotes
The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Identification
Copyright
© 2012 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
