Teenagers with depressive disorders are more at risk of developing violent behavior in adulthood, according to a study.
Teenage depression is associated with a higher risk of violent behavior, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP).
To come to this conclusion, the authors reviewed data from three cohorts in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland. They found a link between depression in adolescence and the declaration, in adulthood, of violent acts or glorification of violent facts.
Impulsivity, hostility…
According to the team, from the University of Oxford, the association effect remains limited. Thus, in the Finnish sample, the authors observed that 7.1% of depressed individuals had been convicted of one or more violent crimes, compared to 3.6% in the general population. In the Dutch and UK sample, the association was slightly higher.
The mechanism behind this link requires further investigation. Researchers cite impulsiveness, hostility and failure of self-regulation as explanatory factors.
In any case, “these results show the need to set up early detection and management of depression in adolescents”, underline the authors. In France, the prevalence of depressive disorders reaches approximately 3% of children and 14% of adolescents, according to Santé Publique France.
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