Family psychosocial characteristics influencing criminal behaviour and mortality - possible mediating factors: a longitudinal study of male and female subjects in the Stockholm Birth Cohort

Abstract

BackgroundFamily psychosocial characteristics in childhood have been associated with children's development into criminal behaviour and mortality. This study explored these possible relationships and examined alcohol and/or drug use and mental problems as possible mediating factors, highlighting gender-specific patterns.MethodsData from Swedish subjects born in 1953 (n = 14,294) from the Stockholm Birth Cohort study were examined. Several indicators of adverse family factors and individual problems were included in the present study. The information was derived from various data sources, covering different periods. Gender-specific associations with incidence of criminality (1966-1980) and mortality (1981-2009) were analysed using logistic regression. Furthermore, the population attributable fraction (PAF) was calculated for all variables in the fully adjusted models which were positively related to the outcome.ResultsOverall incidence of criminality and mortality was (m/f 32.3/6.6) and (m/f 6.1/3.5), respectively. The results showed that all aspects of family psychosocial and individual problems studied were associated with criminality for both genders. Among males, individual problems seemed to partly mediate these relations, but the associations remained statistically significant. Interestingly, the PAF analysis revealed a reduction in criminality of 17.5% when individual problems with alcohol and/or drug use were considered. Among females, a significant impact of alcohol and/or drug use on the association between family psychosocial characteristics and subsequent criminality was obtained. Inclusion of father's occupational class only somewhat reduced the estimates for the genders. Concerning male mortality, father's alcohol abuse was significantly related to an increased risk. When individual criminality was accounted for, the association was substantially reduced but remained statistically significant. Among females, when adjusting for family psychosocial factors, only the association between parents' mental problems and females' mortality was significant. None of the individual problem variables managed to explain this association.ConclusionsFamily psychosocial characteristics were associated with both subsequent criminal behaviour and mortality. These connections were partly explained by individual risk factors, especially by alcohol and/or drug use. The practical implications of the findings point to the importance of addressing the individual's alcohol and/or drug use in reducing criminal behaviour, which would also lower the mortality rates.

Women with Substance Abuse Problems Exposed to Men’s Violence - A Public Mental Health Challenge

“…There is evidence that both individual risk, especially alcohol and/or drug use, and environmental factors in terms of family psychosocial characteristics, are influencing criminal behaviour and mortality in youth [36]. With this knowledge it is important to break the generational transmission of violence, drug abuse, and mental illness for women in treatment today [37].…”

Perpetrators of thefts, perpetrators of robberies and persons with no criminal record: The differences in amorality and socio-economic characteristics

“…S kriminalnim ponašanjem osoba značajno su povezane nepovoljne psihosocijalne karakteristike njihovih primarnih porodica u vidu kriminaliteta, zloupotrebe alkohola i mentalnih oboljenja roditelja (Rydelius, 1981;Murray, Farrington, Sekol, & Olsen, 2009;Klinteberg, Almsquist, Beijer & Rydelius, 2011). Iskustva nasilja u porodici tokom detinjstva takođe značajno doprinose predviđanju nasilnog ponašanja u adolescenciji i odraslom dobu (Gover, 2002;Loeber, Pardini, Homish, Crawford, & Farrington, 2005;Unnever, Cullen, & Agnew, 2006).…”

“…Iskustva nasilja u porodici tokom detinjstva takođe značajno doprinose predviđanju nasilnog ponašanja u adolescenciji i odraslom dobu (Gover, 2002;Loeber, Pardini, Homish, Crawford, & Farrington, 2005;Unnever, Cullen, & Agnew, 2006). Ipak, povezanost roditeljskih problema i kriminaliteta mladih osoba delimično je posredovana individualnim faktorima rizika, posebno zloupotrebom alkohola i droga od strane mladih (Klinteberg et al, 2011).…”

“…Kad su u pitanju socioekonomski faktori, rezultati dobijeni hi-kvadrat testom takođe su u skladu sa dosadašnjim saznanjima koja ističu značaj ošte-ćenja kvaliteta socijalnih veza u vidu odsustva trajnih bračnih odnosa (Siegel & McCormick, 2006) i učestalosti problema u primarnim porodicama prestupnika (Rydelius, 1981;Murray et al, 2009;Klinteberg et al, 2011). Između tri grupe takođe su utvrđene razlike u opažanju materijalnog stanja porodice koje je nepovoljnije kod počinilaca krađa (Agnew, 1999).…”

“…Potrebno je takođe ispitati individualne faktore rizika u vidu zloupotrebe alkohola i droga koji posreduju između patologije roditelja i kriminaliteta mladih (Klinteberg et al, 2011). Jedna od mogućnosti jeste ta da nasilna dela osoba osuđenih za razbojništva nastaju pre usled kriza vezanih za bolesti zavisnosti ili problema u emocionalnoj regulaciji, praćenih situacionim smanjenjem empatije, nego usled amoralnosti indukovane brutalnošću, o čemu pouzdano možemo zaključivati tek ako unapredimo istraži-vanja ove teme.…”