Impact of Childhood ADHD and Conduct Disorder on Adult Delinquency
Author Information
Author(s): Mordre Marianne, Groholt Berit, Kjelsberg Ellen, Sandstad Berit, Myhre Anne Margrethe
Primary Institution: Oslo University Hospital, Norway
Hypothesis
There is a direct association between hyperkinetic symptoms and later criminality in former child psychiatric in-patients.
Conclusion
Conduct disorder in childhood was highly associated with later delinquency, while ADHD alone was not significantly linked to future criminal behavior.
Supporting Evidence
- 24% of participants had been convicted of criminal activity at follow-up.
- Conduct disorder significantly increased the risk of future criminal behavior.
- ADHD alone was not associated with later delinquency.
- Male gender and chronic family difficulties predicted future criminality.
Takeaway
Kids with serious behavior problems like conduct disorder are more likely to get into trouble as adults, but having ADHD alone doesn't seem to lead to crime.
Methodology
The study followed former Norwegian child psychiatric in-patients for 19-41 years, linking their records to the National Register of Criminality and re-diagnosing them according to ICD-10.
Potential Biases
The study's findings may not generalize to populations with different judicial systems or to those with less severe psychiatric issues.
Limitations
The study population is not representative of all child psychiatric patients, and all information was based on hospital records, which may not always be reliable.
Participant Demographics
The sample consisted of 541 former in-patients, with 68% being male and a mean age of 38.3 years at follow-up.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Confidence Interval
95% CI = 1.2-3.4 for conduct disorder; 95% CI = 1.6-4.4 for hyperkinetic conduct disorder; 95% CI = 0.2-0.9 for pervasive developmental disorder.
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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