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Affiliation
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Swedish Prison and Probation Service, R&D, Sweden; Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. |
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Abstract
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BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Anabolic androgenic steroid (AAS) use is associated with aggressive and violent behavior, but it remains uncertain if this relationship is causal in humans. We examined the link between AAS use and violent crime while controlling for polysubstance abuse and additional suggested risk factors for violence.
DESIGN: Cross-sectional study of a population-based sample. SETTING: In 2005, all Swedish-born male twins aged 20-47 years were invited to participate in the Swedish Twin Adults: Genes and Environment (STAGE) survey of the Swedish Twin Register (response rate=60%). PARTICIPANTS: 10,365 male survey participants with information on AAS use. MEASUREMENT: Data on self-reported use of AAS, alcohol and other substances, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and personality disorder symptoms were linked to nationwide, longitudinal register information on criminal convictions, IQ, psychological functioning and childhood socioeconomic status (SES) covariates.
FINDINGS: Any lifetime use of AAS was strongly associated with conviction for a violent crime (2.7% vs. 0.6% in convicted and non-convicted men, respectively; OR=5.0, 95% CI 2.7-9.3). However, this link was substantially reduced and no longer significant when controlling for other substance abuse (OR=1.6, 95% CI 0.8-3.3). Controlling for IQ, psychological functioning, ADHD, personality disorder symptoms and childhood SES did not reduce the risk further.
CONCLUSION: In the general population, co-occurring polysubstance abuse, but not IQ, other neuropsychological risks or socioeconomic status, explains most of the relatively strong association between any anabolic androgenic steroid use and conviction for a violent crime.
Language: en |