Short-term effects of psychiatric symptoms and interpersonal stressors on criminal violence: a case cross-over study
2006 (English)In: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, ISSN 0933-7954, E-ISSN 1433-9285, Vol. 41, no 7, p. 532-540Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
BACKGROUND:
The aim of the study was to analyse the triggering or acute risk effect of psychiatric symptoms and interpersonal stressors on criminal violence.
METHOD:
One hundred and thirty three violent offenders were recruited from a forensic psychiatric evaluation (FPE) unit and a national prison evaluation unit in Sweden during 2002-2003, and were interviewed about trigger exposures. A case-crossover design was used eliminating long-term within individual confounding.
RESULTS:
Suicidal ideation or parasuicide within 24 h before the violent event conferred a ninefold risk increase. In contrast, violent ideation did not trigger criminal violence. Hallucinations yielded a fourfold risk increase, whereas paranoid thoughts were associated with a small and statistically non-significant risk increase. Acute conflicts with others and being denied psychiatric care within 24 h before violence also increased the risk of acting violently.
CONCLUSIONS:
Some tested psychiatric symptoms and stressors triggered criminal violence, whereas others did not. The case-crossover design may be particularly useful for the study of triggers of violence.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2006. Vol. 41, no 7, p. 532-540
Keywords [en]
violence, mental disorders, risk factors, life events, trigger, case-crossover
National Category
Medical and Health Sciences
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-113436DOI: 10.1007/s00127-006-0056-0ISI: 000238683400004PubMedID: 16565911OAI: oai:DiVA.org:uu-113436DiVA, id: diva2:290780
2010-01-282010-01-282017-12-12Bibliographically approved