Neurobiological Bases to Risk Factors for Offending

Question 1

Synaptic Pruning:

Answer 1

connections used regularly become stronger and more complex, whilst those that are not used are lost.
Most myelination and pruning occurs between the ages of 10 and 16.

Question 2

Conduct disorder (CD)

Answer 2

is a type of behavior disorder. It’s when a child has antisocial behavior. He or she may disregard basic social standards and rules:

Question 3

What is the distinction between aggressive and non-aggressiveness in antisocial behaviour?

Answer 3

Agressive = more heritable  
Non-aggressive = slightly more driven by env characteristics.

Question 4

Callous unemotional traits:

Answer 4

• central feature of psychopathy.
• specific indicator of conduct disorder.
• can distinguish a subgroup of youths with conduct problems who show a more severe and stable pattern of antisocial behaviour.

Question 5

Youths with high antisocial behaviour and high conduct disorder:

Answer 5

• elevated risk of developing psychopathy
• resistant to traditional intervention
• emotionally under-reactive
• do not form adequate association between wrongdoing and punishment consequences.
• fearless
• problems developing empathy
• genetically vulnerable to antisocial behaviour

Question 6

Youths with high antisocial behaviour and low conduct disorder:

Answer 6

• often time limited
• responsive to traditional intervention
• emotionally over-reactive, esp to perceived threat
• primarily environmental
• capable of empathy

Question 7

what were the results of the relationship between the A (MAO-A) gene (3R) and conduct disorder?

Answer 7

• Found that indivs with low MAOA activity gene and severe maltreatment, seem to have low CD

Question 8

Factors that can lead to problematic brain development:

Answer 8

Abnormalities in foetal dev:
Prenatal factors:
-Smoking in pregnancy, maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy leading to fetal alcohol syndrome/fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
Perinatal risk factors:
-Birth complications, maternal rejection.
Postnatal risk factors:
-Adverse childhood experiences, poor nutrition, head injury.
Parent-child relationships.
Substance abuse in adolescence and adulthood.

Question 9

Prenatal risk factors:

Answer 9

• Maternal alcohol, tobacco and drug use.
• Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).
• Maternal smoking.
• Use of illicit drugs in pregnancy.
• Prenatal malnutrition.

Question 10

Minor Physical abnormalities (MPAs):

Answer 10

• correlation between MPAs and aggressive behaviours in children as young as three years of age.
• There is an increased prevalence of MPAs in school-aged boys exhibiting behavioural problems.

Question 11

Fetal Alcohol syndrome (FAS):

Answer 11

• behavioural and emotional regulation problems
• attentional problems
• intellectual disability
• immaturity
• language delays
• memory issues
• predisposes individuals to antisocial behaviour.

Question 12

adverse childhood experiences (ACE’S):

/traumas:

Answer 12

10 of them:
Physical abuse
Emotional abuse
Sexual abuse
Household member addicted to illegal drugs and or alcohol.
Household member who was incarcerated
Household member who suffered from mental health issues.
Witnessing domestic violence against mother
Loss of a parent due to death, divorce, or abandonment
Physical neglect
Emotional neglect.
- ACE’s are more frequent in the offending population, with the exception of emotional and physical neglect.

Question 13

what are the 4 attachment styles in childhood?

Answer 13

• secure
• avoidant
• ambivalent
• disorganised

Question 14

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI):

Answer 14

• early TBI can predispose to violent criminal behaviour later in life.