Traumatic brain injury is highly associated with self-reported childhood trauma within a juvenile offender cohort

ABSTRACT

Primary objective: To identify correlates of past traumatic brain injury (TBI) in a population of young offenders.

Research design: Cross-sectional analyses were conducted on available data from a sample derived from the NSW Young People on Community Orders Health Survey.

Procedures: Study participants were administered questionnaires to collect history relating to past TBI, childhood trauma, substance abuse, and psychological/psychiatric symptoms and underwent assessments of intellectual functioning. Information on offending history was accessed through Juvenile Justice administrative records.

Outcomes and results: Analyses were undertaken on data from 788 young offenders (672 males and 116 females).

A past TBI was reported in 39%. Symptoms of psychological distress were more prevalent in females. A history of TBI was associated with more symptoms on a Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, as well as higher psychological distress (K-10), and higher levels on standardized measures of anger/violence, post-traumatic stress, and substance abuse.

Conclusions: The experience of early life trauma warrants further consideration as an antecedent to both childhood TBI and offending which might account for some of the previously observed association of mild TBI with subsequent offending behavior.

KEYWORDS:

• Traumatic brain injury
• offending
• childhood trauma

Acknowledgements

The survey was supported by a grant from the Australian Research Council (Project LP0347017)], the NSW Department of Juvenile Justice, and Justice Health & Forensic Mental Health Network. We acknowledge the young people who participated in the study and their willingness to share their personal stories, provide information on their mental and physical health, and their aspirations so that we may better understand how to break the juvenile crime cycle.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no declarations of interest.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Peter W. Schofield

Peter W. Schofield is a behavioral neurologist who is clinical director of a neuropsychiatry service and a conjoint professor at the University of Newcastle, Australia.

Racquel Mason

Racquel Mason is a clinical psychologist who is now in private practice. She previously worked for 14 years in Corrective Services as a probation officer.

Paul K. Nelson

Paul K. Nelson managed the Young People on Community Orders Health Survey, 2003-07 and his PhD examined drug-crime trajectories among these young offenders. He now works in mixed method program evaluation with the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research.

Dianna Kenny

Dianna Kenny is a professor of psychology at the University of Sydney, Australia, and a consulting psychologist, psychotherapist, researcher and author.

Tony Butler

Tony Butler is a professor at the Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Australia, where he is the head of the Justice Health Research Program.