Substance abuse, conduct disorder and crime: Assessment in a juvenile detention house in Istanbul, Turkey

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to determine the rate of substance abuse in the juvenile detention house and to determine the relationship between crime and substance abuse and conduct disorder. Two hundred and thirty cases in the biggest juvenile detention house in Istanbul, Turkey were assessed according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th edn; DSM-IV) criteria. Law files and data of crime were examined. A total of 80 out of 230 juvenile detainees (34.8%) were found to have substance abuse excluding nicotine and alcohol. The substances abused in preferential order were cannabis (72.5%), volatile substances (21.3% bally and 3.7% thinner; 25%) and sedative hypnotic drugs and biperidents (2.5%). The rate of conduct disorder was 46.3% in substance abusers and 25.3% in the others (odds ratio: 2.536). The rate of substance abuse was 48.5% in the juveniles who had committed multiple crimes and 14.1% in the others (odds ratio: 5.735). The study shows that conduct disorder was very high in juvenile detainees. Conduct disorder was higher in substance-abusing than in non-abusing juvenile detainees. Substance-abusing juvenile detainees were found to have a higher detention rate than non-abusing juvenile detainees. There was a close relation between conduct disorder and substance abuse and multiple crimes. In the light of these results, diagnosis and treatment for conduct disorder in juvenile detainees are of great importance.

Prevalência e fatores associados ao transtorno da conduta entre adolescentes: um estudo de base populacional

“…Esta relação poderá levar à violência e à criminalidade 37,38 , pois muitos estudos mostram que o uso de drogas é preditor da violência/criminalidade e que o transtorno da conduta e o abuso de drogas estão presentes em jovens encarcerados 39 .…”

Psychoactive Substance Use Among Young Offenders in a Nigerian Correctional Facility: A Comparative Analysis

“…The association between criminal offending and psychoactive substance use has been demonstrated among both adult criminals (Kermani & Castaneda, 1996;Mafullul, Ogunlesi, & Sijuwola, 2001) and young offenders (Copur, Turkan, & Erdogmus, 2005;Lehmann, 2004;Lennings & Pritchard, 1999;Prichard & Payne, 2005;Putnins, 2001). Putnins (2001) has provided possible explanations for the relationship between these two variables, stating that use of substances increases the risk of offending, being an offender increases the risk of using substances, and that both substance use and crime might be associated with other common factors.…”

Psychiatric Disorders in Detained Male Adolescents: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Among the papers, 11 did not use a standardized psychiatric interview for adolescents and were excluded. [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] The reasons for exclusion of another 26 papers were (total counts were up to a higher number because multiple exclusion criteria could apply to 1 study): 12 papers included a highly selective population, such as adolescents referred to psychiatric services, [20][21][22] adolescents with SUD, [23][24][25] patients with CD, 26 or homicidal juvenile delinquents [27][28][29][30][31] ; 11 papers did not provide prevalence rates for male and female adolescents separately 20,21,26,[31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38] ; 1 paper selected participants if nursing staff found detained adolescents appropriate to collaborate 39 ; 1 paper used a mixed sample of adolescents and young adults resulting in a mean age of 20 years 40 ; 1 paper used a diagnostic interview that was based on a DSM-III nomenclature without providing detailed information on how the interview was keyed to DSM-IV 41 ; 3 papers based diagnosis on a combination of standardized interviews and other information, which resulted in unclear diagnostic decision-making 35,42,43 ; and 3 papers presented res...…”