title: Low verbal ability predicts later violence in adolescent boys with serious conduct problems.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Delinquent adolescents are a known high-risk group for later criminality. Cognitive deficits correlate with adult criminality, and specific cognitive deficits might predict later criminality in the high-risk adolescents.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to explore the neuropsychological performance and predictors of adult criminal offending in adolescents with severe behavioural problems.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-three adolescents (33 boys and 20 girls), aged 15-18 years, residing in a reform school due to serious conduct problems, were examined for neuropsychological profile and psychiatric symptoms. Results were compared with a same-age general population control sample, and used for predicting criminality 5 years after the baseline testing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The reform school adolescents' neuropsychological performance was weak on many tasks, and especially on the verbal domain. Five years after the baseline testing, half of the reform school adolescents had obtained a criminal record. Males were overrepresented in both any criminality (75% vs. 10%) and in violent crime (50% vs. 5%). When cognitive variables, psychiatric symptoms and background factors were used as predictors for later offending, low verbal intellectual ability turned out to be the most significant predictor of a criminal record and especially a record of violent crime.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Neurocognitive deficits, especially in the verbal and attention domains, are common among delinquent adolescents. Among males, verbal deficits are the best predictors for later criminal offending and violence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Assessing verbal abilities among adolescent population with conduct problems might prove useful as a screening method for inclusion in specific therapies for aggression management.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Mannerheimintie 166, 00300, Helsinki, and Department of Psychology, University of Helsinki , PO Box 9, FI-00014, Helsingin yliopisto, Helsinki , Finland.
authors.forename: Marko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Manninen
authors.forename: Maija
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lindgren
authors.forename: Matti
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Huttunen
authors.forename: Hanna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ebeling
authors.forename: Irma
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Moilanen
authors.forename: Hely
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kalska
authors.forename: Jaana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Suvisaari
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Therman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D019955:Conduct Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D003415:Crime / Q000523:psychology; D057237:Criminals / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology*