Guilherme Eduardo Alves, Moreno Ricardo Alberto
Mood Disorders Unit (GRUDA), Department and Institute of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Program of Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PROTHA), Clinical Hospital, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil.
Psychiatr Psychol Law. 2023 May 31;31(1):47-56. doi: 10.1080/13218719.2023.2175065. eCollection 2024.
The high prevalence of psychiatric symptoms among juvenile delinquents is a well-replicated international finding. This study aimed to find the prevalence of mood disorders and their relationship with serious criminal acts in a population of adolescents in conflict with the law and in custody. A total of 123 male inmates aged 14 to 17 years were interviewed and assessed. Mood disorders were diagnosed in 15% of the sample for current episode and 31% for lifetime, making them third most prevalent after dependence disorders and disruptive disorders. The psychopathological profile of the adolescents who had committed violent crimes corroborates other studies reporting a high prevalence of mood disorders in this population. Several factors have been found to influence the formation of juvenile delinquency, including absence of family structure, social inequality, lack of quality school education, alcohol and drug abuse/addiction and disruptive disorders. The present results confirm mood disorders as another such factor.
青少年犯罪者中精神症状的高患病率是一项得到充分重复验证的国际研究发现。本研究旨在查明触犯法律并被羁押的青少年群体中情绪障碍的患病率及其与严重犯罪行为的关系。共对123名年龄在14至17岁的男性在押人员进行了访谈和评估。当前发作的情绪障碍在样本中的诊断率为15%,终生患病率为31%,使其成为仅次于依赖障碍和破坏性行为障碍的第三大常见疾病。实施暴力犯罪的青少年的心理病理特征证实了其他研究报告的该群体中情绪障碍的高患病率。已发现有几个因素会影响青少年犯罪的形成,包括缺乏家庭结构、社会不平等、缺乏优质学校教育、酗酒和药物滥用/成瘾以及破坏性行为障碍。目前的结果证实情绪障碍也是其中一个因素。