Family court--a social laboratory for adolescent and parental interaction

During a one-year study period in a family court, 304 parents were referred for psychiatric evaluation. An inverse relationship in prevalence of parental and adolescent psychopathology was found. Delinquent juveniles showed a higher prevalence of emotional illness than juveniles in the neglect category. Parents of the delinquent juveniles demonstrated less psychopathology than parents of neglect juveniles. Theories of family systems and dynamics are applicable. The findings have implications for the various theoretically based treatment programs for antisocial and disturbed adolescents.