Mental Health and Mental Characteristics of Minor Convicts Incarcerated in Juvenile Corrections of the Penitentiary System of the Russian Federation

Abstract

Introduction: The number of mental and behavioral disorders in juvenile convicts tends to increase and worsen, since this contingent often has a burdened heredity and is prone to development of chronic diseases, and is also committed to the abuse of psychoactive substances. Objective: To study mental health and mental characteristics of minor convicts incarcerated in juvenile corrections of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia based on long-term data of statistical analysis and psychological testing. Materials and methods: We used forms of departmental statistical observation to study mental health of juvenile convicts. Psychological characteristics of 122 juvenile male convicts aged 15–17 years were assessed in 2021 using the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire and Leonhard–Shmishek Test and then compared with those observed in a similar age and sex group of adolescents. To establish specifics of the incidence in the juvenile convicts, we also compared their disease rates with those registered and sex-adjusted in teenagers aged 15–17 years. We calculated extensive and intensive indicators, 95 % confidence intervals, and statistical significance of differences using the t-tests and the χ-square test. Results: The incidence of mental and behavioral disorders in juvenile convicts incarcerated in juvenile corrections was 10.9 times higher than the standardized incidence in 15 to 17-year-old adolescents (14,050.6 ± 3,881.3 and 1,290.4 ± 427.9, respectively; p < 0.01). We established a low proportion of melancholics (2.9 % (95 % CI: 0.9–7.2), p < 0.05) and the predominance of stable types of temperament in those convicts. Conclusions: The incidence of mental and behavioral disorders in juvenile convicts incarcerated in juvenile corrections is 11 times higher than the sex-standardized incidence in their 15 to 17-year-old peers. Hyperthymic and excitable types of personality accentuation prevail in them with a pronounced tendency to stable types of temperament.