Ethnicity, violent offending, and vulnerability to schizophrenia: a pilot study.
Previous research has highlighted increased risk for schizophrenia in Afro-Caribbeans as well as over-representation in the prison population. This small-scale study examined the relationship between criminality, ethnicity, and psychosis-proneness in a male prison sample. Twenty British Caucasian and 20 Afro-Caribbean prisoners were divided into equal sub-groups of violent and non-violent offenders. Participants completed measures of schizotypy, delusional ideation, and hostility. Afro-Caribbean offenders scored more highly on negative schizotypy and delusional ideation than their Caucasian counterparts. Violent offenders scored more highly on the positive symptoms of schizotypy than non-violent prisoners. Both ethnicity and violent offending may be relevant factors when considering vulnerability to psychosis in the offending population.
Research Department of Clinical, Health and Educational Psychology, University College London, London, UK. o.mason@ucl.ac.uk
O J
OJ
Mason
S
S
Medford
E R
ER
Peters
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D044383:Black People / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017691:Caribbean Region / Q000208:ethnology; D003415:Crime / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003702:Delusions / Q000208:ethnology; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000208:ethnology*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology; D014754:Violence / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult