NCJ Number
173137
Journal
Homicide Studies Volume: 2 Issue: 2 Dated: May 1998 Pages: 160-175
Date Published
1998
Length
16 pages
Annotation
In examining the prevalence and characteristics of psychiatric symptoms exhibited by juvenile murderers and in comparing juvenile murderers with violent inpatient youth with conduct disorders who had not committed murder, this study indicated psychotic symptoms may be a common neuropsychiatric risk factor for homicide acts by violent youth with conduct disorders.
Abstract
The homicide group consisted of 18 male youths between 14 and 17 years of age who met DSM-III-R conduct disorder criteria at the time of their crimes. Homicides were committed either in relation to criminal activities (72 percent) or during interpersonal conflict (28 percent). Victims were male in 8 cases (45 percent) and female in 10 cases (55 percent). The control group consisted of 15 male adolescents between 14 and 17 years of age who met DSM-III-R conduct disorder criteria at the time of their admission to a university hospital adolescent psychiatric inpatient program in Florida. None of the 15 adolescents had committed murder but all had histories of aggression toward others. All subjects were assessed using the Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents. Findings revealed juvenile murderers were significantly more likely than the control group to have experienced any psychotic symptoms and paranoid ideation and to have received mental health counseling. Episodic symptoms of juvenile murderers were not due to major psychiatric illnesses but instead appeared to have a multifactorial etiology consisting of constitutional, neurological, environmental, and cultural underpinnings. Despite the fact that juvenile murderers had longstanding and conspicuous emotional and behavioral disturbances antedating their crimes, they had not received needed mental health interventions. The authors conclude juvenile murderers have greater neuropsychiatric impairment, specifically episodic psychotic symptomatology, than violent conduct- disordered peers who have not killed others. Further research is recommended to investigate psychological and behavioral characteristics of juvenile murderers. 35 references and 2 tables