Citation

Dória GM, Antoniuk SA, Assumpção Junior FB, Fajardo DN, Ehlke MN. Rev. Assoc. Med. Bras. (1992) 2015; 61(1): 51-57.

Affiliation

Psychiatric clinic of Childhood and Adolescence, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Brazilian Medical Association)

DOI

10.1590/1806-9282.61.01.051

PMID

25909209

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: to determine the incidence and associations of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct disorder (CD), and substance abuse disorder (SAD) in adolescents in conflict with the law in a Brazilian cohort.

METHODS: the Brazilian version of the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Aged-Children (K-SADS-PL) was administered to 69 adolescent boys who were incarcerated for 45 days in the city of Curitiba, Brazil.

RESULTS: mean age was 15.5 years (range, 12-16.9 years) and most adolescents originated from disadvantaged social classes (87%). They resided in neighborhoods on the outskirts of the city or towns in the greater metropolitan area. Truancy and low educational achievement were common, with 73.9% not currently attending school and 43.4% not having finished the 5th grade. The great majority lived in single-parent families and many had relatives who themselves had problems with the law. Psychiatric disorders were apparent in 81.1% of the subjects, with the most common disorders being CD (59.4%), SAD (53.6%), and ADHD (43.5%). Both ADHD (p <0.001) and CD (p <0.01) had significant associations with substance abuse.

CONCLUSION: in male adolescents in conflict with the law, ADHD, CD, and SAD were all found to be associated with delinquency.

Language: en