title: What is the long-term outcome of boys who steal at age eight? Findings from the Finnish nationwide "From A Boy To A Man" birth cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim was to study predictive associations between childhood stealing behavior at the of age 8 years with later psychiatric disorders, criminality or suicide attempts and completed suicides up to the age 25 years in a large representative population-based birth cohort.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample includes 2,592 Finnish males born in 1981 with information about stealing from both parents and teachers. Information about psychiatric disorders, criminality, suicide attempts requiring hospital admission and completed suicides was gathered from four different Finnish nationwide registries until the study participants were 25 years old.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One out of ten boys had stealing behavior during the previous 12 months. After adjusting for parental education level and conduct problems or hyperactivity (i.e. potential confounds), stealing at eight independently predicted substance use and antisocial personality disorders, and high level of crimes. Stealing was also associated with completed suicide or severe suicide attempt requiring hospital admission. Comorbid stealing and frequent aggression had the strongest predictive association with any psychiatric diagnosis, crime and completed suicide or severe suicide attempt, while stealing without aggression was not associated with any of the negative outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Stealing accompanied with aggressivity at age eight is predictive of wide range of adversities. However, no increased risk was observed among the group with stealing behaviors but without aggression.
authors: Department of Child Psychiatry, University of Turku, Itäinen Pitkäkatu 1/Varia, 20014, Turku, Finland. andre.sourander@utu.fi
authors: André
authors: A
authors: Sourander
authors: Sturla
authors: S
authors: Fossum
authors: John A
authors: JA
authors: Rønning
authors: Henrik
authors: H
authors: Elonheimo
authors: Terja
authors: T
authors: Ristkari
authors: Kirsti
authors: K
authors: Kumpulainen
authors: Tuula
authors: T
authors: Tamminen
authors: Jorma
authors: J
authors: Piha
authors: Irma
authors: I
authors: Moilanen
authors: Fredrik
authors: F
authors: Almqvist
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D057237:Criminals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D011599:Psychopathology; D012307:Risk Factors; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013800:Theft