Abstract
ObjectivesResearch suggests that antisocial lifestyles constitute significant health risks. However, there are marked individual differences in the stability of antisocial behaviour. These different offending pathways may bear differential risks for adult health.DesignInjury and illness data were collected prospectively in the longitudinal Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development.SettingWorking-class inner-city area of South London.ParticipantsParticipants included the 411 men from the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development, with interview data collected at ages 18, 32 and 48 years for each individual.Main outcome measuresOrganic illness, hospitalisation and injuries.ResultsBy age 48, adjusted odds ratios showed that the incidence of organic illness was higher among Life-Course-Persistent, Late-Onset offenders and offenders in general. Based on adjusted odds ratios at age 32, the incidence of hospitalisations was higher for Late-Onset offenders. Adjusted odds ratios at age 48 also showed that the incidence of hospitalisations was higher for all three offender types and offenders in general. Our results also provide evidence that offenders were more likely to suffer injuries than non-offenders.ConclusionsThe findings of this study imply that preventing individuals from offending is likely to have substantial benefits for health.
Highlights
Late-onset offenders were classified as those who only commenced offending at age 21 years or later
The offenders category included any individual with a history of offending at any age or duration
While offending rates decrease after adolescence, the impact on health of an antisocial lifestyle during adolescence persists and becomes more apparent in the later decades of life
Summary
Research methods used in this study are described in detail in a report of an investigation of links between offending trajectories, injuries and illness up to the age of 18 years.[3] The Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development is a prospective longitudinal survey of the development of offending and antisocial behaviour in 411 London boys. At the time they were first contacted, in 1961/62, they were all living in a working-class inner-city area of South London. Data were analysed by means of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 24
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