The influence of temperament and character of psychotic individuals on the possibility of committing criminal offences.
Cloninger's theoretical biosocial model of personality represents the personality as a hierarchical organisational system consisting of 4 temperament dimensions and 3 character dimensions as 3 aspects of self-concept. It attempts to define behavioural and bio-genetic aspects of temperament, and the neuroanatomical and biochemical brain network responsible for activation, maintenance and inhibition of behaviour. The basic objective of this research is to establish whether temperament and character act as measures of personalities in psychotic persons on the possibility of committing criminal offences. This study is part of wider prospective clinical research on criminogenetic specificities of psychotic patients treated in the Psychiatric Hospital Rab, Croatia, in the period 2005.-2007. It encompasses 122 patients of male gender, up to 60 years of age, treated with the diagnosis paranoid schizophrenia (F20.0; MKB-10), of which half (n = 61; test group) with committed criminal offence and in forensic treatment, while the other (n = 61; control group) without committed criminal offence. The methods encompassed a socio-demographic questionnaire (for processing of general patient data with an emphasis on the characteristics of the committed criminal offence) and Temperament-Character Inventory (TCI) which was filled out once. The Statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) especially the chi2 test, t-test, analysis of variances (ANOVA), matrices for intercorrelation and graded logistical regression analysis for construction of predictor models were used for statistical analysis. According to the results obtained, the tested groups significantly statistically differ with the average results on all scales of the TCI survey (Self-Directedness (SD): F = 34.32; p < 0.05; Cooperativeness (CO): F = 81.54; p < 0.05; Novelty Seeking (NS): F = 42.83; p < 0.05; Harm Avoidance (HA): F = 6.01; p < 0.05; Persistence (PE): F = 4.87; p < 0.05; Reward Dependence (RD): F = 10.91; p < 0.05) except on the scale of Self-Transcendence (self--awareness) (ST), which is not an expected result. Upon further analysis 3 reliable predictor models were established with 1, 2 and 3 independent predictors (cooperativeness, novelty seeking and persistence) which can be identified in about 78-82% of cases in the group of perpetrators of criminal offences or the overall sample. Finally, although this research established some significant distinguishing traits in the observed variables between the respondent groups of perpetrators and non-perpetrators of criminal offences within the framework of diagnostic categories of paranoid schizophrenia, as well as some significant predictive factors in the prediction of psychosis (operationalised in the psychosis scale) that is aggression (operationalised in the spontaneity and reactive aggression scales), we hold that the research results are more probable tendencies rather than staunch facts which should be further researched on a larger sample.
Jengić
Vesna Sendula
VS
Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Psychiatric Hospital "Rab", Rab, Croatia. vesna.sendula@ri.t-com.hr
Jonovska
Suzana
S
Bosković
Gordan
G
Pavelić
Martina Sendula
MS
D000328:Adult; D002605:Character; D003415:Crime / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017523:Croatia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005555:Forensic Psychiatry; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012307:Risk Factors; D012563:Schizophrenia, Paranoid / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D013694:Temperament