Antisocial behaviour, unintentional and intentional injuries during adolescence

Abstract

This paper examines the relationships between antisocial behaviours and risks of both intentional and unintentional injury in a birth cohort of New Zealand children studied to the age of 16 years. The findings of the study lead to three major conclusions. (1) For this cohort rates of unintentional injury were unrelated to measures of antisocial behaviours. This absence of association was general and held for a range of different definitions of antisocial behaviours and injury risk. Additionally, the risk factors for antisocial behaviour showed little overlap with the risk factors for unintentional injury. (2) There were consistent and pervasive associations between measures of antisocial behaviour and both attempted suicide and suicidal ideation. Young people showing marked antisocial behaviours had odds of suicidal behaviours or ideation that were between 3.0 and 13.2 times those of young people without antisocial tendencies. (3) The comorbidities between suicidal tendencies and antisocial behaviours were largely explained by the facts that: (a) the risk factors for suicidal tendencies overlapped with the risk factors for antisocial behaviour and (b) antisocial behaviours were comorbid with other disorders (notably depression) that were associated with increased risks of suicidal tendencies. When common risk factors and comorbid disorders were taken into account the associations between antisocial behaviours and suicidal tendencies were substantially reduced. Nonetheless, there was evidence of small unexplained odds ratios ranging from 1.5 to 4.5 between antisocial behaviour and suicidal tendencies.