Migration, Schizophrenia, and Crime: A Study From a Forensic Psychiatric Sample

BackgroundThe association between mental health problems and crime in immigrants has attracted recent academic interest, with results suggesting that there were possible interactions between immigration, schizophrenia, and criminal behavior. However, very few studies have examined these interactions...

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Main Authors: Yong He, Yan Gu, Shujian Wang, Yan Li, Gangqin Li, Zeqing Hu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2022-05-01
Series:Frontiers in Psychiatry
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.869978/full
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author Yong He
Yan Gu
Shujian Wang
Yan Li
Gangqin Li
Zeqing Hu
author_facet Yong He
Yan Gu
Shujian Wang
Yan Li
Gangqin Li
Zeqing Hu
author_sort Yong He
collection DOAJ
description BackgroundThe association between mental health problems and crime in immigrants has attracted recent academic interest, with results suggesting that there were possible interactions between immigration, schizophrenia, and criminal behavior. However, very few studies have examined these interactions, especially in developing countries that have mass internal immigration. Therefore, this study sought to identify the associations between the sociodemographic, clinical, and criminal factors in migrants and non-migrants with schizophrenia who had been involved in criminal activities in China.MethodsForensic archives of suspects who had been referred for criminal responsibility assessments in the Sichuan West China Forensic Center from January 2015 to December 2019 were reviewed. The sociodemographic, and criminal activity information of the suspects were extracted, while the clinical and social function were measured by the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and Social Disability Screening Schedule (SDSS) based on the archives. A Chi-squared test, a T-test, a Mann-Whitney U test, and Multinomial logistic regression were employed for the statistical analysis.ResultsA total of 552 patients were reviewed and evaluated, 17.2% (n = 95) of which were migrants. The migrant patient group was younger than the non-migrant patient group. The BPRS and SDSS scores for the migrant patient group were lower than for the non-migrant patient group. The migrant patient group had more work experience and more had been employed at the time of the crime than the non-migrant patient group. The unemployed migrant patients were more likely to commit a property-related crime.ConclusionsCompared to the non-migrant schizophrenia patient group, the migrant patient group had less severe psychiatric symptoms and less social function impairments. Employment was an important factor in preventing criminality in patients with schizophrenia, especially for migrant patients. Vocational rehabilitation focuses on developing appropriate employment that can significantly assist in schizophrenia patient recovery, which in turn could reduce their chances of committing crime. Besides, reducing other obstacles to stigma, housing and health insurance would also be beneficial to crime reduction.
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spelling doaj.art-eab57325d4654a57880130a960836baa2022-12-22T02:01:19ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402022-05-011310.3389/fpsyt.2022.869978869978Migration, Schizophrenia, and Crime: A Study From a Forensic Psychiatric SampleYong He0Yan Gu1Shujian Wang2Yan Li3Gangqin Li4Zeqing Hu5Department of Forensic Psychiatry, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Sichuan, ChinaDepartment of Forensic Psychiatry, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Sichuan, ChinaShanghai Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Key Lab of Forensic Science, Ministry of Justice, Shanghai Forensic Service Platform, Academy of Forensic Science, Shanghai, ChinaDepartment of Forensic Psychiatry, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Sichuan, ChinaDepartment of Forensic Psychiatry, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Sichuan, ChinaDepartment of Forensic Psychiatry, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Sichuan, ChinaBackgroundThe association between mental health problems and crime in immigrants has attracted recent academic interest, with results suggesting that there were possible interactions between immigration, schizophrenia, and criminal behavior. However, very few studies have examined these interactions, especially in developing countries that have mass internal immigration. Therefore, this study sought to identify the associations between the sociodemographic, clinical, and criminal factors in migrants and non-migrants with schizophrenia who had been involved in criminal activities in China.MethodsForensic archives of suspects who had been referred for criminal responsibility assessments in the Sichuan West China Forensic Center from January 2015 to December 2019 were reviewed. The sociodemographic, and criminal activity information of the suspects were extracted, while the clinical and social function were measured by the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and Social Disability Screening Schedule (SDSS) based on the archives. A Chi-squared test, a T-test, a Mann-Whitney U test, and Multinomial logistic regression were employed for the statistical analysis.ResultsA total of 552 patients were reviewed and evaluated, 17.2% (n = 95) of which were migrants. The migrant patient group was younger than the non-migrant patient group. The BPRS and SDSS scores for the migrant patient group were lower than for the non-migrant patient group. The migrant patient group had more work experience and more had been employed at the time of the crime than the non-migrant patient group. The unemployed migrant patients were more likely to commit a property-related crime.ConclusionsCompared to the non-migrant schizophrenia patient group, the migrant patient group had less severe psychiatric symptoms and less social function impairments. Employment was an important factor in preventing criminality in patients with schizophrenia, especially for migrant patients. Vocational rehabilitation focuses on developing appropriate employment that can significantly assist in schizophrenia patient recovery, which in turn could reduce their chances of committing crime. Besides, reducing other obstacles to stigma, housing and health insurance would also be beneficial to crime reduction.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.869978/fullschizophreniainternal migrantdemographic characteristicsclinical characteristicscriminological characteristics
spellingShingle Yong He
Yan Gu
Shujian Wang
Yan Li
Gangqin Li
Zeqing Hu
Migration, Schizophrenia, and Crime: A Study From a Forensic Psychiatric Sample
Frontiers in Psychiatry
schizophrenia
internal migrant
demographic characteristics
clinical characteristics
criminological characteristics
title Migration, Schizophrenia, and Crime: A Study From a Forensic Psychiatric Sample
title_full Migration, Schizophrenia, and Crime: A Study From a Forensic Psychiatric Sample
title_fullStr Migration, Schizophrenia, and Crime: A Study From a Forensic Psychiatric Sample
title_full_unstemmed Migration, Schizophrenia, and Crime: A Study From a Forensic Psychiatric Sample
title_short Migration, Schizophrenia, and Crime: A Study From a Forensic Psychiatric Sample
title_sort migration schizophrenia and crime a study from a forensic psychiatric sample
topic schizophrenia
internal migrant
demographic characteristics
clinical characteristics
criminological characteristics
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.869978/full
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