Benzodiazepine use of community-based violent offenders: a preliminary investigation

Abstract

Objective: To explore the relationship between benzodiazepine use and violent crime in a sample of community-based offenders. Methods: Participants were recruited via drug diversion and treatment programs in Melbourne, Australia. Data regarding benzodiazepine and other substance use, mental health, personality characteristics, and crime involvement were collected through semistructured interviews conducted in 2011. Participants (n = 82, 79.3% male) were 21–56 years old, predominantly Australian-born (89%), with 14.6% identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders. Eligibility criteria were having been charged with a criminal offence in the previous six months and at least monthly benzodiazepine use. Group differences between violent (n = 11) and nonviolent offenders were assessed via independent samples t-tests (two-tailed) and nonparametric tests. Results: Individuals charged with violent index offences were significantly more likely to use higher average doses of alprazolam (p = 0.040) and exhibit benzodiazepine dependence (p = 0.037) as well as report high levels of sensation seeking, prior violence, and the diagnoses of depression and personality disorder than individuals charged with nonviolent index offences. Conclusions: The findings suggest the existence of a complex dynamic between mental health and violent offending that may be influenced by benzodiazepine use, in particular alprazolam. A core implication of these preliminary findings includes attending to the interpersonal skills and adaptive coping resources of violent offenders.

Keywords:

• Alprazolam
• benzodiazepines
• impulsive behavior
• mental health
• violence

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the significant contributions made by Dr. Katy Jones, A/Prof. Raimondo Bruno, Melissa Reed, Ann Wilson, and Angela Harney to the original project.

Funding

No funding was sought for this specific paper. The original research was funded by the Victorian Law Drug Enforcement Fund. Suzanne Nielsen is supported by an NHMRC research fellowship (#1013803). The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at UNSW is supported by funding from the Australian Government under the Substance Misuse Prevention and Service Improvements Grant Fund.

Declarations of interest

We declare that none of the authors are in receipt of financial support or have any relationship that may pose a conflict in relation to the content presented in the submitted manuscript. Dan Lubman has received speaking honorarium from AstraZeneca and Janssen, as well as provided consultancy advice to Lundbeck. Suzanne Nielsen is an investigator on untied educational grants from Reckitt Benckiser.

Notes

^1. Offence grouping was considered in line with the World Health Organization’s definition of interpersonal violence and in keeping with recent research in this field (Haggård-Grann et al., 2006).

^2. The current study utilized a five-point Likert scale (0 = not at all, 2 = sometimes, 4 = very much) as opposed to the standard administration of the UPPS, which uses a four-point Likert scale (1 = strongly agree, 4 = strongly disagree). In order to align the final UPPS scores (n =76) with the standardized version of the UPPS (i.e., zero scores are not possible), 7.25% of the data points required rescoring from 0 to 1.

^3. Alprazolam: 0.5–4.0 mg per day; diazepam: 5–40 mg per day.

^4. MIMS, originally the Monthly Index of Medical Specialities, is an independent supplier of medicine information in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, and the United Kingdom.

Additional information

Funding

No funding was sought for this specific paper. The original research was funded by the Victorian Law Drug Enforcement Fund. Suzanne Nielsen is supported by an NHMRC research fellowship (#1013803). The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at UNSW is supported by funding from the Australian Government under the Substance Misuse Prevention and Service Improvements Grant Fund.