Beyond the offense: clinical correlates of repeated incarceration among justice-involved male adolescents with substance use disorder.

BACKGROUND

This study examined whether repeated incarceration among justice-involved male adolescents with substance use disorder (SUD) reflects not only a legal consequence but also a marker of a more severe clinical risk profile. It also evaluated the roles of addiction severity, family criminal history, psychological resilience, and meaning in life in repeated incarceration.

METHODS

The sample comprised 203 male adolescents with a history of substance use who were incarcerated in a closed correctional facility. Participants were classified as first-time incarcerated or repeatedly incarcerated. Addiction severity was assessed with the Addiction Profile Index for Adolescents, psychological resilience with the Brief Resilience Scale, and meaning in life with the Meaning in Life Questionnaire. Group differences were examined using chi-square tests and independent-samples t-tests, and independent predictors of repeated incarceration were analyzed with binary logistic regression.

RESULTS

Overall, 32.5% of participants had a history of repeated incarceration. Compared with first-time incarcerated adolescents, this group showed greater addiction severity and lower psychological resilience and meaning in life, whereas age and offense type did not differ significantly. In binary logistic regression, the model was significant and explained 34.2% of the variance in repeated incarceration. Family history of crime was the strongest predictor, increasing the risk 5.20-fold. Higher addiction severity increased the likelihood of repeated incarceration, whereas meaning in life was protective. Age and psychological resilience were not independently significant in the multivariable model.

CONCLUSIONS

Repeated incarceration may represent not merely a legal outcome, but a clinical indicator of greater addiction burden, adverse family context, and limited psychological protective resources. Rehabilitation should therefore extend beyond containment and address clinical severity, family functioning, and purpose-related psychological resources simultaneously.