The influence of trait affect on the emotion-effects of alcohol

Abstract

Aims: This study obtained data on dimensions of criminal activity: severity, frequency, variety, and income from prisoners participating in a buprenorphine study. This paper examined the above dimensions and their relationships with six domains based on the criminal justice and substance abuse literature: demographic characteristics, substance use, criminal behavior, employment, drug treatment, and psychological problems. Methods:Male and female participants (200)were interviewed in prison. Four sets of analyses were conducted with the criterion variables, with the predictor variables from the domains included in each of the analyses. Results: Gender (p= .001) and onset of criminal activity (p= .009) were the only significant predictor variables related to crime severity. Males were more likely than females to participate in violent offenses. Individuals who used cocaine more frequently were involved in more criminal activity days (p= .002). Crime varietywas related to three predictor variables, gender (p= .001), onset of criminal activity (p= .001), andpsychological problems (p= .002). Maleswere involved inmore types of criminal activity compared to females. Participants that began their criminal careers at a younger age were more likely to be involved in a wider variety of criminal activity. Offenders reporting more days of psychological problems were also more likely to be involved in a wider variety of criminal activity. Age of respondent was inversely related to illegal income (p= .011). White participants reported generating more income from illegal means compared to black participants (p= .042). Conclusions: Results show several important similarities to results on previous cohorts of inmates with histories of heroin addiction, although the present sample may have more of a tendency toward violent crime. Results of this study suggest there are a number of variables that lead further to the understanding of the criminal career paradigm and illustrate the importance of addressing substance abuse and criminal activity. Financial support: NIDA1R01DA021579.