Family Type and Criminal Behaviour of Male Offspring: the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort Study

Anu Sauvola, Outi Koskinen, Jari Jokelainen, HelinÄ Hakko, Marjo-Riitta JÄRvelin and Pirkko Rã„sã„nen
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Anu Sauvola: Department of Psychiatry, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, 90014 Oulun yliopisto, Finland. asauvola@paju.oulu.fi
Outi Koskinen: Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Niuvanniemi Hospital, University of Kuopio, Finland
HelinÄ Hakko: Department of Psychiatry, University of Oulu, Finland
Marjo-Riitta JÄRvelin: Department of Public Health Science and General Practice, University of Oulu, Finland; Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Imperial College, School of Medicine, London, U.K.
Pirkko Rã„sã„nen: Department of Psychiatry, University of Oulu, Finland

International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 2002, vol. 48, issue 2, 115-121

Abstract: Background: Unstable family environment during childhood is known to predispose to juvenile delinquency. Aims: This study explored whether childhood family structure is associated with violent behaviour of adult offspring. Methods: We used a large, unselected general population birth cohort ( n = 5589 males) linked with the national crime registers (up to the age of 32 years). The Ministry of Justice provided information on registered offences for all subjects. A logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the association between family type and criminality (violent and non-violent crimes). Results: We found that single-parent family “at birth†(adj. OR 3.6, 95% CI 1.8-7.0) and “all time†(up to the age of 14 years) (adj. OR 5.2, 95% CI 2.5-10.6) were risk factors for violent offences of an adult offspring. Also parental death (adj. OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.3-3.6) and divorce (adj. OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.6-3.7) doubled the risk for violence. Non-violent offences were associated only with parental death and divorce. Conclusions: A single-parent family of origin is strongly associated with later violent criminality of male offspring. Further studies are needed to explore the psychosocial aspects of single-parent family environment which may promote the vulnerability to violent offending in adulthood.

Date: 2002
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:socpsy:v:48:y:2002:i:2:p:115-121

DOI: 10.1177/002076402128783163

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