Implications of Impulsivity on Criminal Behavior in Individuals With Substance Use Disorder

Abstract

Objective

Our aim was to analyze the association between criminal behavior and impulsivity in individuals with drug addiction and investigate whether impulsiveness mediates the relationship between drug use severity and legal problems.

Methods

This cross-sectional study included 773 men diagnosed with addiction (295 alcohol users and 478 users of crack/polysubstance) while undergoing addiction treatment. The BIS-11 and ASI-6 were applied to assess impulsivity, criminal behavior, and drug use.

Results

The prevalence of criminal behavior was 41.7% (n = 123) in alcohol users and 64.9% (n = 310) in users of crack/polysubstance. Earlier use of different substances and higher impulsivity scores were observed in individuals with criminal history. Mediation analyses revealed that impulsiveness acts as a mediator factor between substance use and criminal behavior, enhancing the severity of legal problems.

Conclusion

Our findings can help in deciding on tailored treatment strategies, focusing not only on substance use, but also on the prevention of social problems, criminality, and impulsivity.

Keywords:

• Alcohol
• cocaine
• impulsivity behavior
• impulsiveness
• criminal behavior
• substance use disorder
• addiction

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) [grant number 478492/2013-8], the Secretaria Nacional de Políticas sobre Drogas (SENAD)/Ministério da Justiça e Segurança Pública [grant number 08129.015636/2017-78], Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior–Brazil (CAPES) [finance code 001], and the Fund to Support Research and Events of the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (FIPE-HCPA) [grant number 2014-0249]. These institutions had no role in the study design, in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, in writing the report, or in the decision to submit the article for publication.