Delinquent Behavior, Psychosomatic Symptoms and the Idea of "Healthy Delinquency"

• NCJ Number: 188854
• Journal: Journal of Scandinavian Studies in Criminology and Crime Prevention Volume: 1 Issue: 2 Dated: 2000 Pages: 121-139
• Author(s): Janne Kivivuori
• Date Published: 2000
• Length: 19 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

This study examined the association between self-reported delinquent behavior and psychosomatic symptoms in adolescents.

Abstract

A nationally representative sample of 15 to 16-year-old Finnish adolescents was surveyed. Delinquent behavior was measured by the incidence of delinquent acts during the preceding year. Psychosomatic symptoms were measured in terms of eight items, including fatigue, bad temper, anxiousness, neck and shoulder pain, headache, sleeping problems, lower back pain, and stomach pain. Two hypotheses were assessed: delinquents had less psychosomatic symptoms than nondelinquents; and delinquents reported more psychosomatic symptoms than nondelinquents. In support of the second hypothesis, the results indicated that delinquency and psychosomatic symptoms were positively associated. The more an adolescent committed offenses, the more he or she reported symptoms. This association remained strong if other important predictors of symptoms were held constant. The number of annual offenses seemed to be more important as a predictor of psychosomatic symptoms than the qualitative variety of offenses, but this finding was preliminary. Both aggressive and nonaggressive offenses contributed to the symptom level. The nondelinquents clearly reported the fewest number of symptoms and differed in this respect significantly from all other levels of delinquency. It was possible that the association between delinquent behavior and psychosomatic symptoms was due to the stress resulting from apprehension. The possibility that a third variable, such as earlier traumatic life experiences, caused the association between symptoms and delinquency cannot be excluded on the basis of the present research. In the future, the specific causal links between delinquent behavior and psychosomatic symptoms should be studied with a longitudinal research design. 2 tables, 2 figures, and 45 references.