Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 Feb;33(1):57-63.
doi: 10.1177/10398562241292209. Epub 2024 Oct 14.

Radicalisation in adolescents: mental health considerations for violent extremism

John Kasinathan  1   2 , Annie Parsons  2
Affiliations
Review

Radicalisation in adolescents: mental health considerations for violent extremism

John Kasinathan et al. Australas Psychiatry. 2025 Feb.

Abstract

Objective: To outline current understanding and recommended mental health and psychiatric considerations for radicalisation and violent extremism among adolescents.

Method: Overview of recent research regarding violent extremism in adolescents and relationships with mental illness and other psychosocial determinants. Relevant international and Australasian research is outlined, with an emphasis on adolescents. Psychiatric considerations, intervention and policy implications will be explored.

Results: Adolescents who become radicalised form a heterogenous group with complex, multifaceted needs from mental disorder, familial, societal and/or environmental contributions. Thus, assessment and management need to be individualised. Mental health clinicians working with at-risk and radicalised adolescents should maintain a high index of suspicion for mental illness (particularly psychosis and depressive disorder) and neurodevelopmental disorder. Identified psychiatric conditions warrant prioritised mental health treatment. There may be a relationship between specific psychopathology and certain ideological beliefs and behaviours.

Conclusions: Radicalised adolescents pose challenges with risk of serious harm to others, presentation complexity, multifactorial contributors and associations with varied psychopathology. All adolescents at risk of radicalisation or who are radicalised, should receive comprehensive mental health assessment and prompt assertive treatment of identified psychiatric conditions.

Keywords: adolescents; radicalisation; treatment; violent extremism; youth.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

DisclosureThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

References

    1. Cherney A, Belton E, Norham SAB, et al. Understanding youth radicalisation: an analysis of Australian data. J Sport Tourism 2022; 14: 97–119. DOI: 10.1080/19434472.2020.1819372. - DOI
    1. Barracosa S, March J. Dealing with radicalised youth offenders: the development and implementation of a youth-specific framework. Front Psychiatr 2022; 12: 773545. Perspective. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.773545. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. McSweeney J, McPhee S. Teen charged with Wakeley terrorism attack travelled 90 minutes to church: police. Sydney Morning Herald, Nine Entertainement Company: Sydney, Australia, 2024. https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/teen-charged-with-wakeley-terrorism-... (accessed 18 July 2024).
    1. Rubinsztein-Dunlop S, Hunjan R. 7.30 report, Sydney, Australia: Transcript of interview, 2024. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-29/parents-teenager-stabbed-bishop-s... (accessed 14 July 2024).
    1. Nichols S, Tregenza H, Ibrahim T. Police allege two teenagers charged with terrorism offences related to Wakeley church stabbing attack had videos of beheadings on their phones. Sydney, Australia: ABC News: Australian Broadcasting Commission, 2024. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-2004-2025/five-teenagers-charge-counter... (accessed 18 July 2024).