Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Brain Morphology of Cannabis Users With or Without Psychosis: A Pilot MRI Study
Published on: August 18, 2020
Mental health problems among young people on remand: has anything changed since 1989?
Michael G Sawyer1, Matthew Guidolin, Karen Schulz
1School of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health, University of Adelaide and Research and Evaluation Unit, Children, Youth & Women's Health Service, South Australia. michael.sawyer@adelaide.edu.au
Objectives:
To determine whether the prevalence of mental health problems among adolescents on court ordered remand in South Australia has changed since 1989. To compare the prevalence of mental health problems reported among adolescents on remand in 1989 and 2008/09 with the prevalence among adolescents in the general community.
Method:
Mental health problems were identified using the Youth Self-Report (YSR), which was completed by 11-17 year olds on remand in South Australia in 1989 (n=100) and in 2008/09 (n=197), and 13-17 year olds (n=1,283) in the national survey of mental health problems among Australian adolescents conducted in 1998.
Results:
Although adolescents on remand reported somewhat fewer mental health problems in 2008/09 than were reported in 1989, the prevalence of problems in both groups of adolescents on remand was significantly higher than that reported for adolescents in the general community.
Conclusion:
Adolescents on remand have a much higher prevalence of mental health problems than other adolescents in the community, with little change evident over the past 20 years.
Implications:
To reduce the high levels of mental health problems experienced by adolescents on remand, interventions need to provide effective management and treatment both during the time adolescents are on remand and after they return to the general community.
Related Concept Videos
The Stanford Prison Experiment
Stress and Mental Health
Individuals with depression often experience challenges in both their personal and professional...
Community Based Intervention
Foundations of Community Mental Health Programs
Central to the success of community-based interventions is the...
Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia
Revisionist Views of Adolescent and Adult Cognition
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
