Evaluating the Clinical Utility of the MAYSI-2 Among African American Male Juvenile Offenders - Article Overview

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Blitz

This study evaluates the clinical utility of the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument–Second Version (MAYSI-2) for African American incarcerated youth, using White incarcerated youth as a comparison group. Analyses include 314 delinquent males aged 13–17 from a U.S. medium security residential facility. Seven logistic regression and ROC models assess whether MAYSI-2 subscales identify documented mental illness diagnoses and whether specific subscales distinguish particular disorders. Results show limited identification for African American youth and more selective performance for White youth.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Keywords

Background and Rationale

Mental Health Screening

Clinical Utility Evaluation

Evaluating the Clinical Utility of the MAYSI-2 Among African American Male Juvenile Offenders Behavioral Disorders 2024, Vol. 49(4) 222–235 © Hammill Institute on Disabilities 2024 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[DOI: 10.1177/01987429241229045](DOI: 10.1177/01987429241229045)[ ](DOI: 10.1177/01987429241229045)[journals.sagepub.com/home/bhd](journals.sagepub.com/home/bhd) Brittany LaBelle, PhD 1, Joseph Calvin Gagnon, PhD2, Diana Joyce-Beaulieu, PhD 1, Jodi Lane, PhD 1, Nicholas Gage, PhD3, John Kranzler, PhD 1, David E. Houchins, PhD4, Holly B. Lane, PhD 1, Erica D. McCray, PhD 1, Richard G. Lambert, PhD, EdS5, and Shelbretta Ball, PhD6 Abstract This study examined the clinical utility of the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument–Second Version (MAYSI-2) among African American (AA) incarcerated youth and used White incarcerated youth as a comparison group. Data were analyzed for 314 incarcerated youth (193 AA offenders and 121 White offenders) of ages 13–17 years who were adjudicated delinquent from a southeastern United States medium security residential facility. Seven logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) models were built to determine whether the MAYSI-2 subscales accurately identify committed AA male incarcerated youth who have a mental illness diagnosis on file. Analyses also examined how well the MAYSI-2 subscales identify specific mental illnesses among AA-committed male incarcerated youth. Results demonstrated that no MAYSI-2 subscales accurately identified and categorized AA-committed male incarcerated youth who have mental disorders, and only two subscales (Alcohol/Drug Use, Depressed/Anxious) identified and categorized White committed male incarcerated youth who have a mental disorder. Additional results and implications for research and practice are provided. Keywords juvenile corrections, juvenile justice, MAYSI-2, African American, mental health The United Nations (U.N.) has long asserted a commitment to the rehabilitation of incarcerated youth as evidenced by the U.N. Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty (United Nations General Assembly, 1990) . Similarly, rehabilitation is the underlying premise and promise of the U.S. juvenile justice (JJ) system (Gagnonet al., 2022) . Broadly, the U.S. approaches incarcerated youth rehabilitation with the notion that they are qualitatively different than adults, a view that has been confirmed by recent neuroscience research (Arain et al., 2013) . However, the goal of rehabilitation is often complicated by the complex needs of incarcerated youth, which often includes mental disorders. While data does not exist for youth in commitment facilities (i.e., those adjudicated delinquent), prevalence data from detained incarcerated youth indicates that 70% of them have at least one diagnosed mental health disorder in comparison to only 20% of adolescents in the general population (Seiter, 2017) . In addition, Seiter (2017) noted that their comorbidity rates are ten times higher for incarcerated youth (e.g., 30% have 4 or more diagnoses) . Conduct disorder and substance use disorder are the most common comorbid disorders, followed by mood, disruptive, and trauma disorders (Seiter, 2017) . Over 60% of incarcerated youth with a mental health disorder also have a co-occurring substance use disorder and almost 30% have mental health disorders that are serious enough to require immediate and significant treatment (National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice [NCMHJJ]) . Moreover, incarcerated youth with mental illnesses who are 1 University of Florida, Gainesville, USA 2University of Helsinki, Finland 3WestEd, San Francisco, CA, USA 4Georgia State University, Atlanta, USA 5University of North Carolina-Charlotte, USA 6University of South Carolina, Columbia, USA Corresponding Author: Brittany

FAQs

What is the purpose of evaluating the MAYSI-2 in this study?

The study assesses the clinical utility of the MAYSI-2 subscales for incarcerated African American male juvenile offenders, including how well the tool identifies documented mental illness diagnoses.

How were participants selected and what comparison group was used?

The study analyzed 314 incarcerated youth aged 13–17 adjudicated delinquent, including 193 African American offenders and 121 White offenders, drawn from a southeastern U.S. medium security residential facility.

What were the key findings about the MAYSI-2 subscales?

No MAYSI-2 subscales accurately identified and categorized African American committed male incarcerated youth with mental disorders. Only two subscales (Alcohol/Drug Use and Depressed/Anxious) identified and categorized White committed males with a mental disorder.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Blitz