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Citation
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Oskarsson S, Andersson A, Bertoldi BM, Latvala A, Kuja-Halkola R, Evans B, Raine A, Patrick CJ, Larsson H, Tuvblad C. PLoS One 2024; 19(3): e0297639. |
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Abstract
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BACKGROUND: Lower autonomic arousal is a well-known correlate of criminal offending and other risk-taking behaviors in men, but few studies have investigated this association in women.
AIM: To test associations between autonomic arousal and criminal offending as well as unintentional injuries among female conscripts.
METHODS: All women born 1958-1994 in Sweden who participated in voluntary military conscription (n = 12,499) were identified by linking Swedish population-based registers. Predictors were resting heart rate (RHR) and systolic blood pressure (SBP). Covariates were height, weight, and physical energy capacity. Main outcomes were criminal convictions (any, violent, and non-violent) from the National Crime Register. Secondary outcome was unintentional injuries requiring medical treatment or causing death. We used survival analyses to test for associations between predictors and outcomes.
RESULTS: Low RHR, relative to high RHR, was associated with an increased risk of any criminal conviction, non-violent criminal convictions, and unintentional injuries. Low SBP, relative to high SBP, was associated with an increased risk of violent criminal convictions.
CONCLUSIONS: Results support lower autonomic arousal, particularly lower RHR, as a correlate of criminal offending among women that warrants further examination, as the reported findings have potential implications for the prediction of future female crime.
Language: en |