The Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument as a Predictor of Institutional Maladjustment in Severe Male Juvenile Offenders

Abstract

The Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument—Version 2 (MAYSI-2) is a brief triage tool designed to pinpoint youth in the juvenile justice system at risk for mental health—related difficulties. The current study investigated the relation between the MAYSI-2 and institutional maladjustment at a residential treatment facility specializing in the rehabilitation of severe male juvenile offenders. Institutional maladjustment data were collected during the first 90 days of commitment for 104 male juvenile offenders who also completed the MAYSI-2 during orientation to the facility. The Angry-Irritable subscale of the MAYSI-2 uniquely predicted severe rule violations and intensive supervision placement. However, hit rate analyses revealed a high level of false negatives for the published subscale cut scores. Implications of these and related findings are discussed.