Predicting adult offending behavior for individuals who experienced a traumatic brain injury during childhood.

OBJECTIVES

To examine whether individuals who experienced a childhood traumatic brain injury (TBI) are at increased risk for subsequent offending behavior, to identify the emotional characteristics of adults who experienced childhood TBI, and to examine whether these predict offending behavior.

PARTICIPANTS

Individuals from the Canterbury region who had experienced a childhood (<18 years of age) injury event and were now 18 years or older and more than 5 years postinjury (between 18 and 30 years of age). Three groups were formed: (1) moderate/severe TBI (n = 62); (2) mild TBI (n = 58); and (3) fracture control group (n = 38).

SETTING

University of Canterbury.

MAIN MEASURES

A semistructured interview assessed lifetime involvement in offending behavior; the Emotional Behavior Scale measured internalizing and externalizing behaviors, including malevolent aggression, social anxiety, and social self-esteem.

RESULTS

Compared with controls, there was an increased risk of offending behavior (mild TBI: odds ratio = 8.7; moderate/severe TBI odds ratio = 20.4). Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that the strongest predictors of offending behavior were TBI status, higher levels of malevolent aggression, and age at injury.

CONCLUSIONS

Individuals who experienced childhood TBI are at increased risk of offending behavior. Emotional behavior measures were useful predictors of offending behavior, offering opportunity for intervention.