RESIDENTIAL TRADE/SCHOOL PROGRAM SUCCESS RATES AMONG ADJUDICATED YOUTH WITH MENTAL HEALTH DIAGNOSES

The role of mental illness and how it relates to criminal behavior continues to be a popular focus in terms of prevention and intervention strategies. How well those interventions work for youth with emotional behavioral disorders has been a curious facet as well. The rehabilitation for youth who have been charged with criminal offenses is not a one-size fits all approach. Failure to rehabilitate certain youth is likely due to many variables. Several studies have looked at vocational skills training combined with psychiatric and therapeutic treatment as a way to address the needs of youth with mental illness. The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a significant difference between the successful completion rates of youth enrolled in a vocational trade school program with mental health diagnoses of ADHD and/or mood disorders and youth without these diagnoses. The successful completion rates of 38 youth divided into two groups of 20 and 18 individuals were compared using a 2x2 chi square test. Archival data was collected from Gulf Coast Trades Center, a vocational trade school, and youth were assigned to groups according to their existing mental health diagnoses. It was hypothesized that youth who were diagnosed with ADHD and/or mood disorders were less likely to successfully complete a vocational trade program at GCTC than were youth without these diagnoses. Results indicated that there was no significant difference between the two groups, suggesting that the presence of an ADHD and/or mood disorder does not predict successful completion rates at residential vocational programs.