Assessment of delinquent adolescents using Achenbach’s Teacher’s Report Form

The Teacher’s Report Form was administered to 178 boys (12–17 years old) resident in a Children’s Home specialising in children with severe emotional and behavioural problems. Most boys had a history of offending and had been unmanageable in their numerous previous placements. The syndrome profiles gained are presented and it is notable that while the investigated sample do present significantly high scores on expected syndromes (Delinquent Behaviour and Aggressive Behaviour), on other syndromes their scores are more in line with ‘non-referred’ samples. Comparisons between boys placed in Secure units and Open units found few significant differences. However, analyses comparing boys of different ages found that younger boys gained markedly higher Externalising scores.