Background characteristics of mentally ill homicide offenders – a comparison of five diagnostic groups
- 1 September 2004
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis Ltd in The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology
- Vol. 15 (3), 451-474
- https://doi.org/10.1080/1478994042000226750
Abstract
Background characteristics of homicide offenders in relation to their diagnoses were investigated. Forensic psychiatric examination statements of 183 Finnish homicide offenders belonging to five different diagnostic categories were content-analysed for 90 dichotomous offender background variables. In several aspects alcoholics resembled offenders with no diagnosis, in that these offenders had less problematic backgrounds compared to other groups. Offenders with schizophrenia were relatively well-adjusted in childhood, however, in adolescence and adulthood, social isolation, withdrawal and other difficulties attributable to the illness of these offenders became evident. Offenders with personality disorder or drug addiction had experienced multiple difficulties in their early environments: both family and individual problems, such as parental alcohol abuse and school problems, were typical. The results suggest that offenders with different disorders differ in their background variables. These results emphasize the importance of early interventions for problem families and children at risk of antisocial behaviour and may also benefit development of effective treatments for violent offenders as well as investigations of homicide. Some methodological problems in forensic psychiatric examination based research are considered.This publication has 34 references indexed in Scilit:
- Role of Genotype in the Cycle of Violence in Maltreated ChildrenScience, 2002
- Forensic Psychiatric Organization in FinlandInternational Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 2000
- Offender profiling and criminal differentiationLegal and Criminological Psychology, 2000
- School Performance in Finnish Children and Later Development of SchizophreniaArchives of General Psychiatry, 1999
- Psychopathy in instrumental and reactive violent offenders.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1996
- Mental Disorders and Homicidal Behavior in FinlandArchives of General Psychiatry, 1996
- Psychotic homicides in Copenhagen from 1959 to 1983Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 1987
- Homicide in the West of ScotlandThe British Journal of Psychiatry, 1976
- WAIS Characteristics of Indicted Male MurderersPsychological Reports, 1973
- A Coefficient of Agreement for Nominal ScalesEducational and Psychological Measurement, 1960