title: Borderline personality disorder associates with violent criminality in women: A population based follow-up study of adolescent psychiatric inpatients in Northern Finland.
abstract: Various psychiatric problems in adolescence and early adulthood have been shown to associate with criminal behaviour. In this study the association of personality disorders (PDs) with criminal behaviour was examined in adolescents treated in psychiatric hospitals. The study sample consisted of 508 adolescents (age 13-17) admitted to acute psychiatric impatient care between April 2001 and March 2006. Crime data was obtained from the Finnish Legal Register Centre on September 2013. The Schedule for Affective Disorder and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children Present and Lifetime (K-SADS-PL) was used to assess psychiatric diagnoses in adolescence. The information on PDs in early adulthood was based on follow-up information on psychiatric treatments in either out- or inpatient settings until the end of 2012, and was extracted from the National Care Register for Health Care provided by the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare. A total of 22 (39%) of the 57 subjects with PD had committed a crime. In women, the likelihood for violent criminality was significantly increased in those with Borderline PD (OR 6.09, CI 1.24-29.84, p=0.009) and was also associated with conduct disorder (OR 4.26, CI 1.38-13.19, p=0.012), child welfare placement (OR 11.82, CI 3.61-38.76, p<0.001) and parent's substance use disorder (OR 7.74, CI 2.30-26.10, p=0.001). In men, no association was observed between PD and any kind of criminal behaviour. Significant predictors for violent criminality in males were conduct disorder (OR 4.05, CI 1.75-9.38, p=0.001), substance use disorder (OR 2.51, CI 1.22-5.17, p=0.012) and special services at school (OR 2.58, CI 1.16-5.76, p=0.021). Females with Borderline PD showed an increased risk for violent offending. This suggests Borderline PD as a potential explanatory factor for violent assaults by females and highlights the importance of recognizing the risk for violence in young women with a Borderline PD.
authors.affiliation: University of Oulu, Research Unit of Clinical Neurosciences, Department of Psychiatry, P.O. BOX 5000, FIN 90014 OYS, Finland.
authors.forename: Riikka
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Arola
authors.affiliation: University of Oulu, Research Unit of Clinical Neurosciences, Department of Psychiatry, P.O. BOX 5000, FIN 90014 OYS, Finland.
authors.forename: Henna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Antila
authors.affiliation: University of Oulu, Research Unit of Clinical Neurosciences, Department of Psychiatry, P.O. BOX 5000, FIN 90014 OYS, Finland. Electronic address: pirkko.riipinen@oulu.fi.
authors.forename: Pirkko
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Riipinen
authors.affiliation: Oulu University Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, P.O. BOX 26, FIN 90029 OYS, Finland. Electronic address: helina.hakko@oulu.fi.
authors.forename: Helinä
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hakko
authors.affiliation: Helsinki University Central Hospital, Department of Adolescent Psychiatry, P.O. BOX 590, 00029 HUCH, Helsinki, Finland. Electronic address: kaisa.riala@oulu.fi.
authors.forename: Kaisa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Riala
authors.affiliation: Oulu University Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, P.O. BOX 26, FIN 90029 OYS, Finland. Electronic address: liisa.kantojarvi@oulu.fi.
authors.forename: Liisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kantojärvi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder; D003415:Crime / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D014754:Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: Adolescent; Borderline personality disorder; Crime; Personality disorder; Violence