Family Belonging and Internalizing Symptoms among Youth Involved with the Juvenile Justice System

Detained youth are at an increased risk of developing internalizing symptoms. Belongingness theory suggests that youth’s perception of belonging within their family may further elucidate this risk. In addition, alexithymia may explicate symptoms, yet these constructs have yet to be evaluated in detained youth. The present study examined the interaction between alexithymia and family belonging on depression and anxiety symptoms of 94 youth in a juvenile detention facility. Results suggest that lack of family belonging and high alexithymia are independently associated with greater internalizing symptoms. Findings indicated a need for interventions targeting family belonging and emotion regulation to address internalizing problems for youth.