Systematic review of mental health problems and violent extremism

Gill, Paul; Clemmow, Caitlin; Hetzel, Florian; Rottweiler, Bettina; Salman, Nadine L.; Vegt, Isabelle van der; Marchment, Zoe; Schumann, Sandy; Zolghadriha, Sanaz; Schulten, Norah; Taylor, Helen; Corner, Emily

doi:10.4324/9781003251545-2

Cited by 9 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Gill and colleagues (2021) provide a valuable review of the literature exploring the link between mental disorder and terrorism. They note the heterogeneity in prevalence rates in the literature and provide some plausible explanations for this heterogeneity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental disorder, psychological problems and terrorist behaviour: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Sarma

Carthy

Cox

2022

Campbell Systematic Reviews

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Background: The link between mental health difficulties and terrorist behaviour has been the subject of debate for the last 50 years. Studies that report prevalence rates of mental health difficulties in terrorist samples or compare rates for those involved and not involved in terrorism, can inform this debate and the work of those responsible for countering violent extremism.Objectives: To synthesise the prevalence rates of mental health difficulties in terrorist samples (Objective 1-Prevalence) and prevalence of mental health disorders pre-dating involvement in terrorism (Objective 2-Temporality). The review also synthesises the extent to which mental health difficulties are associated with terrorist involvement compared to non-terrorist samples (Objective 3-Risk Factor).Search Methods: Searches were conducted between April and June 2022, capturing research until December 2021. We contacted expert networks, hand-searched specialist journals, harvested records from published reviews, and examined references lists for included papers to identify additional studies.Selection Criteria: Studies needed to empirically examine mental health difficulties and terrorism. To be included under Objective 1 (Prevalence) and Objective 2 (Temporality), studies had to adopt cross-sectional, cohort, or case-control design and report prevalence rates of mental health difficulties in terrorist samples, with studies under Objective 2 also needing to report prevalence of difficulties before detection or involvement in terrorism. For Objective 3 (Risk Factor) studies where there was variability in terrorist behaviour (involved vs. not involved) were included.Data Collection and Analysis: Captured records were screened in DisillterSR by two authors. Risk of bias was assessed using Joanna Briggs Institute checklists, and random-effects meta-analysis conducted in Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software.Results: Fifty-six papers reporting on 73 different terrorist samples (i.e., studies) (n = 13,648) were identified. All were eligible for Objective 1. Of the 73 studies, 10

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental disorder, psychological problems and terrorist behaviour: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Sarma

Carthy

Cox

2022

Campbell Systematic Reviews

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“…We (KS) will also review past systematic reviews in the area to identify papers relevant to our review (e.g., Gill et al, 2021). Citations and abstracts will be identified as ‘Hand Search’ records for reporting in our PRISMA chart.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, those who have looked more closely at this evidence base have acknowledged that the picture emerging is far from clear, with the lack of clarity attributable, in part at least, to methodological limitations in that literature (Gill et al, 2021; Jensen et al, 2020). To some extent these limitations centre on one core problem—the difficulty determining to what extent, if any, the presence of a mental disorder confers risk of terrorist involvement (as opposed to being associated with increased risk).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

PROTOCOL: Mental disorder, psychological problems and terrorist behaviour: A systematic review

Sarma

Carthy

Cox

2022

Campbell Systematic Reviews

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This is the protocol for a Campbell systematic review. The objectives are as follows:the first objective of the review (Objective 1-Prevalence) is to present a synthesis of the reported prevalence rates of mental health difficulties in terrorist samples.Where sufficient data is available, the synthesis will be sensitive to the heterogeneity of the terrorism phenomenon by exploring the rates of mental health difficulties for different forms of terrorism and for different terrorist roles (e.g., bombing, logistics, finance, etc.). The second objective (Objective 2-Temporality) will synthesise the extent to which mental health difficulties pre-date involvement in terrorism within prevalence studies. Finally, the third objective (Objective 3-Risk) aims to further establish temporality by examining the extent to which the presence of mental disorder is associated with terrorist involvement by comparing terrorist and non-terrorist samples.

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“…More recent studies have also investigated mental disorders among people who have engaged in violence in the context of holding extremist beliefs. These indicate that among violent extremists between 10 and 17% have one or more mental disorders, with a range of psychiatric diagnoses represented, with mood disorder and schizophrenia the most frequent (5,6). In recent years, the media has drawn attention to perpetrators who have been formally diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (2).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vulnerability to Ideologically-Motivated Violence Among Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder

et al. 2022

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People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are represented among those who espouse extremist thought and have committed violent acts associated with their beliefs. Media often highlight a perpetrator's psychiatric diagnosis following acts of mass violence, which in some instances has included ASD. ASD may itself not provide useful information for understanding motivations. Instead, understanding specific traits and neuropsychological and other vulnerabilities may offer an opportunity to make sense of these very complex events.

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Systematic review of mental health problems and violent extremism

Cited by 9 publications

References 8 publications

Mental disorder, psychological problems and terrorist behaviour: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Mental disorder, psychological problems and terrorist behaviour: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

PROTOCOL: Mental disorder, psychological problems and terrorist behaviour: A systematic review

Vulnerability to Ideologically-Motivated Violence Among Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder

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