Neurotic disorders

Summary
Summary-
continued
Daily living and social functioning (chapter 12)
• More than a quarter of male remand young offenders (28%) said they had spent 23 to 24 hours in
their Cellon the day before interviewas did 23% of those who were sentenced. Male young
offenders spent more time in their cells than their female counterparts; only 6% of female
prisoners reported spending this long in.their cell.
• In general, the young offenders in this Survey weremore than twice as likely to have a small
primary support group (three people or less) compared with people in the general household
population.
Risk factors for mental disorder (chapter 13)
• The proportion of people in each sample group who. had been taken into local authority care as a
child was 29% of the male sentenced group, 35% of the women and 42% of the male remand
group. Three-fifths of the sample reportedleaving school before their 16th birthday and about 1 in
10.respondents had left school aged 13 0r younger. " • .-
• More than 7 out of 10 ofthemen in the sample, both remand and Sentenced, said they had a
previous conviction for a criminal offence. The proportion of women with a previous conviction
was somewhat smaller, being only 4 out of 10.
• The vast majority, over 96% in all groups, had experienced at least one stressful life event and
about a two fifths had experienced five or more. The most commonly reported stressful events for
all groups were: being expelled from school and running away from home - these were reported by
over half of all sample groups.
• Women were far more likely tha n men to repo_ having Suffered as a:result of violence at home
and sexual abuse. :About two fifths of the Wome/i and about a:quarter of the men interviewed
reported having suffered from violence at home, whileabout I in3 0fthe women reported having
suffered sexual abuse compared with just under'l in 20 of the m_n. _
• During their current prison term, about half of young offenders reported experiencing some form
of victimisation.
• The two risk factors most Strongly associated with having pe/Sonality disorder were leaving school
at age13 or less and the number of stressful life events respondents had experienced.
... _. . . • _
• A historyof sexual abuseOf, of bullying and having been homelesswere the factors most strongly
associated With evidence0fpsychotic disorder. " " "_ _ • .... .: i :
• The main factor associated with the pre_nce of significant neuroti c symptoms was having Suffered
from sexual abuse or bullying. Also, for Wbrnen and those born Outside the UK, the odds of having
significant levels of neurotic symptoms weregreater than for men and those born. in the UK.
• Hazardous:drinking in the year before coming t0 prison was associated with the type of household
people were living in, their ethnic group, previous convictions and some stressful events: being
sacked or made redundant, and running away from home; -_
• The odds ofbeing dependent 0n drugs in:the year before coming to prison were nearly five times
greater for thos e who were ti_g.0ff_Jm6 t_n f6r _e whc_were _ork_ngbe-fote coming to
p/:son. Other factors associated With dn_g dependenc_be_dreprison_were ethnic group, having
suffered the death of a Close friend 0rrelatiye, homeie_snessand SeriOusm0neg problems:
6 Psychiatric Morbidity among YoungOffenders inEnglandandWales --7 7 0 0 -