Depression and Crime Across Different Neighborhoods in the Swedish General Population

Does the association between depression and violent and nonviolent crime differ across neighborhoods, and do unmeasured familial factors contribute to it?In this cohort study of 95 245 individuals with depression and 476 225 controls, depression was significantly associated with higher odds of both violent convictions and nonviolent convictions. Associations were lowest in resource-limited neighborhoods and were partially attenuated in sibling analyses.These findings suggest that depression is associated with increased risk of criminal convictions across neighborhood types and underscore the relevance of considering contextual and familial factors for prevention and intervention strategies responsive to neighborhood social environments.

Corresponding Author: Nilo Tayebi, MSc, School of Behavioural, Social, and Legal Sciences, Örebro University, Fakultetsgatan 1, 701 82, Örebro, Sweden (nilo.tayebi@oru.se).

Link to the article in your story

We encourage you to link out to this article in your story using the link below. It includes an access token that will give free access to the article for your readers up to one year after publication. (The link will be live after the article publishes and embargo is lifted.)

Please see the article for additional information, including full author list, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

Need more information? Contact us.