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Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Psychiatric Comorbidity Among Detained Youths
Karen M. Abram, Ph.D.
Jason J. Washburn, Ph.D., A.B.P.P.
Linda A. Teplin, Ph.D.
Kristin M. Emanuel, M.S.T.
Erin G. Romero, B.S.
Gary M. McClelland, Ph.D.
Most youths in detention have one or more psychiatric disorders (1). Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the more prevalent disorders in detention facilities, affecting at least one in ten youths (2–4). One of the more debilitating aspects of PTSD is its tendency to co-occur with other psychiatric disorders (5–7).
In a community sample, Giaconia and colleagues (8) found that nearly four-fifths of persons with lifetime PTSD also had one or more additional psychiatric disorders. Studies of detained adolescent males in Russia (9) and detained adolescent females in Australia (10) found that all of the detainees with PTSD had at least one comorbid disorder. It is unclear whether PTSD increases the vulnerability to other disorders or whether there are common genetic or environmental factors underlying the disorders (5,11).
Researchers agree, however, that comorbid disorders have an adverse impact on the prognosis and treatment of individuals with PTSD. Youths with PTSD and comorbid disorders have significantly more behavioral and health problems and more impaired interpersonal relationships than those with PTSD and no comorbid disorders (5).
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