Neurobiological, psychological and social markers of violent delinquency

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The development of violent delinquency over the life-course is quite heterogeneous. Violent behavior is a result of complicated processes, involving various mediating and interacting influences between social, psychological and biological factors. The current proposal rests on the longitudinal Crime in Modern Cities study (CrimoC). This panel study found, in line with international research findings, that i) in adolescence also violent delinquency is quite common yet transient in nature, and that ii) even the majority of intensive violent offenders desists from offending latest in early adulthood. The current research proposal is based on the CrimoC findings on the impact of distal as well as proximal social and psychological causes on the development of delinquent behavior from adolescence into adulthood. In a further interdisciplinary step, we want now to study the neurobiological, neuropsychological and psychopathological dimensions in the meanwhile adult sample. Within such a multilevel approach, neurobiological data will be collected, i.a., on brain structure and function as well as on hormonal and genetic influences. The CrimoC data are very valuable for such a unique complementary neurobiological investigation since we expect that this will lead to a much more distinct and comprehensive classification and understanding of the patterns of violent delinquency. Finally, we want to use the existing criminological, social and psychological data to test its predictive potential for structural and functional brain measures, cognitive performance and psychopathology in the adult sample. Although retrospectively acquired, the planned research will allow to test the predictive power of earlier criminological, sociological and psychological factors on the not undisputed neurobiological, psychopathological and neuropsychological parameters in the context of violent delinquency, besides advancing the knowledge on violent delinquency among the existing CrimoC respondents.