OBJECTIVES: This study sought to establish, in Colombia, the importance of factors alleged to be causes or correlates of adult criminality according to the published literature from other countries. METHODS: A comparison was made of arrested male offenders from ages 18 to 30 (n = 223) and similar community controls (n = 222) selected from five cities in Colombia as to their family background, exposure to abuse, family stressors, perceived care and history of childhood disruptive behaviour problems. RESULTS: Compared with neighbourhood controls from similar social classes, offenders were significantly more likely to report having had parents with less education, a mother under the age of 18 or over the age of 35 at time of birth, family members involved in crime, experiencing extreme economic deprivation, parental absence, family conflict, severe punishments, physical abuse, and maternal unavailability, rejection and lack of supervision. Prevalence of childhood disruptive behaviour problems was similar among offenders and controls. These findings appear to be independent of economic status, family size or type, birth order, or primary caregiver. Although the independent contribution of most of these factors is small, once all others have been controlled for, their cumulative effect is strong. CONCLUSIONS: The findings obtained in this Latin American setting do not support the generalized view that adult antisocial behaviour is necessarily preceded by a history of childhood behaviour problems. However, they do add evidence for the importance of family factors in the risk for adult criminality.
A sample of 223 detained offenders in five cities in Colombia, South America, were divided according to childhood or adolescent onset of antisocial behavior and compared on type of offense, characteristics of family of origin, and personal history. No significant differences were found as to type of offense committed between these two groups, but individuals with childhood onset of antisocial behavior were more likely to report multiple problem behavior at all ages, family antecedents of delinquency and alcohol abuse, greater exposure to family life changes, psychological abuse, severe childhood punishments, and lower self-esteem and sense of coherence as compared to individuals first manifesting antisocial behavior after adolescence. These differences were independent of mother’s level of education, head of the household’s occupational level, and family size. The results add evidence from a different social and cultural context as to the heterogeneity among offenders related to the age of onset of antisocial behavior.
Efforts are being made to extend the practice of Community Oriented Primary Care by reorienting existing health services or restructuring medical education curricula. Nevertheless, changes in education must be simultaneous to changes in health services so that health professionals trained in COPC will find areas to practice COPC. The experience described in this article presents an effort in these two directions. A teaching program was introduced in a traditional medical school curriculum and was extended to six health services by training the directors of the health service as teaching instructors of COPC or closely coordinating actions with the director of the health service. The results of the program show fulfillment of learning objectives and student satisfaction with the program. Evaluations of the development of COPC in the health services involved show modifications in health programs to meet community needs and stronger community leadership and organization.
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