Abstract
PurposeUrban violence is a major problem in Brazil and may contribute to mental disorders among victims. The aim of this study was to assess the association between robbery victimisation and mental health disorders in late adolescence.MethodsAt age 18 years, 4106 participants in the 1993 Pelotas Birth Cohort Study were assessed. A questionnaire about history of robbery victimisation was administered, the Self-Report Questionnaire was used to screen for common mental disorders, and the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview was used to assess major depressive disorder and generalised anxiety disorder. Cross-sectional prevalence ratios between lifetime robbery victimisation and mental disorders were estimated using Poisson regression with robust standard errors, adjusting for socioeconomic variables measured at birth and violence in the home and maltreatment measured at age 15.ResultsThere was a dose–response relationship between frequency of lifetime robberies and risk of mental disorders. Adolescents who had been robbed three or more times had twice the risk (PR 2.04; 95% CI 1.64–2.56) for common mental disorders, over four times the risk for depression (PR 4.59; 95% CI 2.60–8.12), and twice the risk for anxiety (PR 1.93; 95% CI 1.06–3.50), compared with non-victims, adjusting for covariates. Experiencing frequent robberies had greater impact on common mental disorders than experiencing an armed robbery. Population attributable fractions with regard to robbery were 9% for common mental disorders, 13% for depression, and 8% for anxiety.ConclusionsRobberies are associated with common mental disorders in late adolescence, independently of violence between family members. Reducing urban violence could significantly help in preventing common mental illnesses.
Highlights
In 1996, the World Health Organization declared that violence was a major and growing public health problem, accounting for more than 1 million deaths worldwide per year [1]
With respect to common mental disorders, 27.3% screened positive, and 4.0 and 7.5% of the adolescents presented with major depressive disorder and generalised anxiety disorder, respectively (Table 1)
The fact that males were at greater risk of robbery than females is consistent with international studies showing that, females suffer higher rates of domestic violence and sexual crimes, males are more involved in urban violence including robbery, assault, and homicide [7, 30]
Summary
In 1996, the World Health Organization declared that violence was a major and growing public health problem, accounting for more than 1 million deaths worldwide per year [1]. Most studies of community violence that have considered other mental heath outcomes have examined internalising problems in a broad fashion [7], with mixed results [12], and few have examined its effects while considering violence experienced in the home [13]. One meta-analysis on the effects of community violence on internalising problems found a weak association [12], co-occurring violence in the home was not taken into account, which might have biased the results [13]
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