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Predictors of receiving counseling in a national sample of youth: the relative influence of symptoms, victimization exposure, parent–child conflict, and delinquency

  • Empirical Research
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Abstract

This paper identifies factors that predict children’s use of counseling services within a 2-year period. Using two waves of data from a national survey of 1009 youth age 6–17, we describe differences in utilization by demographic characteristics and compare receipt of counseling between children who scored high versus lower on: (1) levels of mental health symptoms, (2) multiple victimization exposure; (3) levels of delinquency; and (4) parent–child conflict. Multivariate logistic regressions were also performed to examine the relative and independent effects of a these factors on receiving counseling. Results indicate that counseling was received by only one- quarter or less of the 10–17 year olds and one-third or less of the 6–9 year olds with the highest levels of symptoms, victimization or delinquency. For the 10–17 year olds, delinquency and parent–child conflict were better predictors of treatment than were mental health symptoms or victimization exposure. In contrast, younger children (age 6–9) were most likely to receive counseling if they lived in a single parent or stepfamily household. The findings suggest that more counseling should be made available to distressed and victimized children, particularly those who do not engage in high delinquency and conflict which tend to promote referral.

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Notes

  1. We chose the top quintile cut-off for symptoms level and delinquency to be consistent with the proportion of the sample that are poly-victims (20%); we have already established the significance of the poly-victimization distinction in earlier work (Finkelhor et al. 2007).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Crimes Against Children Research Center, University of New Hampshire, 126 Horton Social Science Center, 20 College Road, Durham, NH, 03824, USA

    Heather A. Turner, David Finkelhor & Richard Ormrod

Authors
  1. Heather A. Turner
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  2. David Finkelhor
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  3. Richard Ormrod
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Heather A. Turner.

Additional information

For the purposes of compliance with Section 507 of PL 104-208 (the “Stevens Amendment”), readers are advised that 100% of the funds for this program are derived from federal sources, (this project was supported by Grant Nos. 1999-JP-FX-1101 & 2002-JW-BX-0002 awarded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, US Department of Justice). The total amount of federal funding involved is $584,549. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the US Department of Justice.

Appendix A: Juvenile victimization questionnaire

Appendix A: Juvenile victimization questionnaire

Conventional crime screeners

  1. (1)

    In the last year, did anyone use force to take something away from you that you were carrying or wearing?

  2. (2)

    In the last year, did anyone steal something from you and never give it back? Things like a backpack, money, watch, clothing, bike, stereo, or anything else?

  3. (3)

    In the last year, did anyone break or ruin any of your things on purpose?

  4. (4)

    Sometimes people are attacked WITH sticks, rocks, guns, knives, or other things that would hurt. In the last year, did anyone hit or attack you on purpose WITH an object or weapon? Somewhere like: at home, at school, at a store, in a car, on the street, or anywhere else?

  5. (5)

    In the last year, did anyone hit or attack you WITHOUT using an object or weapon?

  6. (6)

    In the last year, did someone start to attack you, but for some reason, it didn’t happen? For example, someone helped you or you got away?

  7. (7)

    When a person is kidnapped, it means they were made to go somewhere, like into a car, by someone who they thought might hurt them. In the past year, has anyone tried to kidnap you?

  8. (8)

    In the past year, have you been hit or attacked because of your skin color, religion, or where your family comes from? Because of a physical problem you have? Or because someone said you are gay?

Child maltreatment screeners

  1. (9)

    Not including spanking on your bottom, in the last year, did a grown-up in your life hit, beat, kick, or physically hurt you in any way?

  2. (10)

    In the last year (since [month] when you were [age/grade]), did you get scared or feel really bad because grown-ups called you names, said mean things to you, or said they didn’t want you?

  3. (11)

    When someone is neglected, it means that the grown-ups in their life didn’t take care of them the way they should. They might not get them enough food, take them to the doctor when they are sick, or make sure they have a safe place to stay. In the last year, did you get neglected?

  4. (12)

    Sometimes a family fights over where a child should live. In the last year, did a parent take, keep, or hide you to stop you from being with another parent?

Peer and sibling victimization screeners

  1. (13)

    Sometimes groups of kids or gangs attack people. In the last year (since [month] when you were [age/grade]), did a group of kids or a gang hit, jump, or attack you?

  2. (14)

    In the last year, did any kid, even a brother or sister, hit you? Somewhere like: at home, at school, out playing, in a store, or anywhere else?

  3. (15)

    In the last year, did any kids try to hurt your private parts on purpose by hitting or kicking you there?

  4. (16)

    In the last year, did any kids, even a brother or sister, pick on you by chasing or grabbing your hair or clothes or by making you do something you didn’t want to do?

  5. (17)

    In the last year, did you get scared or feel really bad because kids were calling you names, saying mean things to you, or saying they didn’t want you around?

  6. (18)

    In the last year did a boyfriend or girlfriend or anyone you went on a date with slap or hit you? (Only asked of children age 12 and older).

Sexual assault screeners

  1. (19)

    In the last year, did a grown-up you know touch your private parts when you didn’t want it or make you touch their private parts? Or did a grown-up you know force you to have sex?

  2. (20)

    In the last year, did a grown-up you did not know touch your private parts when you didn’t want it, make you touch their private parts or force you to have sex?

  3. (21)

    Now think about kids your age, like from school, a boy friend or girl friend, or even a brother or sister. In the last year, did another child or teen make you do sexual things?

  4. (22)

    In the last year, did anyone TRY to force you to have sex, that is sexual intercourse of any kind, even if it didn’t happen?

  5. (23)

    In the last year, did anyone make you look at their private parts by using force or surprise, or by “flashing” you?

  6. (24)

    In the last year, did anyone hurt your feelings by saying or writing something sexual about you or your body?

  7. (25)

    In the last year, did you do sexual things with anyone 18 or older, even things you both wanted? (Only asked of children age 12 and older).

Witnessing and indirect victimization screeners

  1. (26)

    In the last year, did you SEE one of your parents get hit by another parent, or their boyfriend or girlfriend? How about slapped, punched, or beat up?

  2. (27)

    In the last year, did you SEE your parent hit, beat, kick, or physically hurt your brothers or sisters, not including a spanking on the bottom?

  3. (28)

    In the last year, in real life, did you see anyone get attacked on purpose WITH a stick, rock, gun, knife, or other thing that would hurt? Somewhere like: at home, at school, at a store, in a car, on the street, or anywhere else?

  4. (29)

    In the last year, in real life, did you see anyone get attacked or hit on purpose WITHOUT using a stick, rock, gun, knife, or something that would hurt?

  5. (30)

    In the last year, did anyone steal some thing from your house that belongs to your family or someone you live with? Things like a TV, stereo, car, or anything else?

  6. (31)

    When a person is murdered, it means someone killed them on purpose. In the past year, has anyone close to you, like in your family, a friend, or neighbor, been murdered?

  7. (32)

    In the past year, have you seen someone murdered in real life? This means not on TV, video games, or in the movies?

  8. (33)

    In the past year, have you been in a place in real life where you could see or hear people being shot, bombs going off, or street riots?

  9. (34)

    In the past year, have you been in the middle of a war where you could hear real fighting

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Turner, H.A., Finkelhor, D. & Ormrod, R. Predictors of receiving counseling in a national sample of youth: the relative influence of symptoms, victimization exposure, parent–child conflict, and delinquency. J Youth Adolescence 36, 861–876 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-007-9189-z

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