Analaysis on mental health state and family background of juvenile delinquents

  Objective   To study the mental health state of juvenile delinquents, and its relations with their family back-ground and parental rearing pattern.

  Methods   Two hundred and forty juvenile delinquents and 240 normal controls were tested with SCL-90, EMBU and family condition questionnaire.

  Results   Scores of all factors' of SCL-90 were much higher in juvenile delinquents than in the controls.The criminals' family background was not quite good.They got lower scores in love care and understanding and gothigher scores in punishment, severity, partiality, refusal and negation of EMBU than the controls.Except love care and understanding, the other scales' scores of EMBU were significantly related with all factors of SCL-90.

  Conclusion   The mental health level of juvenile delinquents was low.Their family background and parental rearing patterns were responsible for this.