NEUROLOGIC FINDINGS IN RECIDIVIST AGGRESSORS (FROM PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND BRAIN DYSFUNCTION, 1977, BY RUSSELL R MONROE ET AL)

• NCJ Number: 57188
• Author(s): R R MONROE; B HULFISH; G BALIS; J LION; J RUBIN; M MCDONALD; J D BARCIK
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 13 pages
• Corporate Author: Raven Press, Inc
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

HISTORICAL DATA ON THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEMS OF 94 RESIDENTS OF PATUXENT INSTITUTION, MD., FOR DEFECTIVE DELINQUENTS WERE ANALYZED USING A NEUROLOGIC SCALE TO IDENTIFY FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH AGGRESSIVE RECIDIVISM.

Abstract

THE SUBJECTS HAD SIX OR MORE CONVICTIONS AND HAD REPEATEDLY TRANSGRESSED, USUALLY WITHIN A FEW WEEKS OR MONTHS AFTER BEING PAROLED. THEY WERE BETWEEN THE AGES OF 19-54 AND WERE NOT CRIMINALLY INSANE. WHEN INFORMATION ON EVIDENCE OF BIRTH TRAUMA, HEAD INJURY, POSSIBLE EPILEPSY, NEUROLOGIC SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS, ETC., CONCERNING THE SUBJECTS WERE ANALYZED USING MODIFICATIONS OF THE CURRENT AND PAST PSYCHOPATHOLOGY SCALES AND THE MONROE DYSCONTROL SCALE, RESULTS INDICATED A SURPRISING CONSISTENCY IN CORRELATIONS BETWEEN NEUROLOGIC SCALE ITEMS AND AGGRESSIVE DYSCONTROL BEHAVIOR. CORRELATIONS AT THE 0.05 LEVEL OR BETTER WERE FOUND WITH PSYCHIATRIC HISTORY OF ANGER, VIOLENT BEHAVIOR, AND OVERREACTIVE EMOTIONAL BEHAVIOR, AS WELL AS FLUCTUATIONS OF FEELINGS, POOR JUDGMENT, SELF-DEFEATING ACTION, LACK OF RESPONSIBILITY, GRANDIOSITY, ILLUSIONS, HYPOCHONDRIASIS, FUGUE STATE, AND SPECIFIC HEALTH PROBLEMS. THIS WAS ALSO TRUE FOR NEUROTIC OR ANTISOCIAL TRAITS IN CHILDHOOD. THE CURRENT MENTAL STATUS EXAMINATIONS OF SUBJECTS REVEALED CORRELATIONS WITH BELLIGERENT-NEGATIVISTIC BEHAVIOR, PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGIC, AND CONVERSION SYMPTOMS. CORRELATIONS ON THE MOOD AND AFFECT SCALES WERE CONSISTENT WITH PSYCHIATRIC HISTORIES IN INDIVIDUALS MORE LIKELY TO SHOW CURRENT EMOTIONAL LIABILITY OR IMPULSIVITY, AND RATINGS BY A GROUP OF THERAPISTS SHOWED A CORRELATION WITH A WIDE RANGE OF EMOTIONAL RESPONSIVENESS AND VERBAL HOSTILITY. SURPRISINGLY, DYSCONTROL RECIDIVISTS WITH ACTIVATED ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHIC ABNORMALITIES WERE MORE LIKELY TO BE NORMAL ON SENSORY EXAMINATIONS AND GROSS MOTOR COORDINATION THAN OTHER SUBJECTS. THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM DYSFUNCTION PLAYS A PART IN SOME AGGRESSIVE ANTISOCIAL ACTION. TABULAR DATA AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (DAG)