Lifetime psychiatric diagnoses among adolescents with severe conduct problems – A register-based follow-up study

Abstract

BackgroundBoth delinquency and out-of-home care (OOHC) are associated with a wide spectrum of psychiatric disorders. Reform schools (RS) are Finnish OOHC institutions for adolescents with severe conduct problems. ObjectiveWe investigated the prevalence of psychiatric diagnoses among individuals with a history of RS placement. Participants and settingThe data consisted of individuals placed in a RS on the last day of the years 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006 or 2011 (N = 1074) and a matched comparison group (N = 5313). MethodsInformation on lifetime psychiatric diagnoses, grouped into eight categories, was collected from the nationwide health care registry. The follow-up time ranged from 17 to 44 years. ResultsAmong RS population, 59.5 % had some psychiatric diagnosis, which was 12-fold compared to general population peers (hazard ratio HR = 12.4). The most prevalent categories were Conduct disorders and/or ADHD (30.7 %, HR = 41.5), Substance use disorders (29.3 %, HR = 16.8,), Other childhood disorders (8.6 %, HR = 11.9) and Personality disorders (10.9 %, HR = 11.6) followed by Mental retardation (6.4 %, HR = 8.4), Schizophrenia spectrum disorders (9.7 %, HR = 7.9), Affective disorders (17.9 %, HR = 7.3), and Disorders of psychological development (6.1 %, HR = 4.4). All differences were statistically significant (p < .001). ConclusionsRS background associates with an excess of psychiatric disorders, which adds to the burden of other known risk factors for adult age well-being. Effective screening and intervention for psychiatric problems should be available both during the RS placement and after-care.