Work

Associations of Male Arrest Trajectories With Physical and Mental Health in Middle Adulthood

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Prospective associations between distinctive offender trajectory groups and early health indicators have been quite well studied, but health in middle adulthood much less so. AIMS: To test associations between membership of distinctive offender trajectory groups and physical and mental health at age 37/38 years, controlling for baseline risks and earlier health indicators. METHODS: Longitudinal data from the Oregon Youth Study (OYS) were used, yielding a community living sample of 206 men aged 37/38 years. The OYS is a study of boys aged 9/10 years on study entry and from high-crime areas, followed from 1983/4 to the present. For the study reported here, annual counts of arrests and periods of imprisonment were derived from court records. Self-report and objective measurements provided indicators of physical (general physical health, cardiovascular health, body mass index, traumatic injury) and mental (hostility/aggression, psychosis, depression, attention problems, social problems) health at age 37/38 years. RESULTS: Heterogeneity in latent group-based arrest trajectories was modelled using semiparametric group-based modelling and yielded three groups: 141 (69%) rare offenders, 43 (22%) low-level chronic offenders and 19 (9%) high-level chronic offenders. High-level and low-level chronic offenders showed significantly poorer mental (but not physical) health at ages 37/38 compared to rare offenders. Unexpectedly, few health differences emerged between the lower- and higher-level repeat offender groups. Child body mass index significantly predicted middle adulthood body mass index, regardless of offending trajectory. CONCLUSIONS: Distinctive offender trajectory groups are not associated with physical health indicators in middle adulthood, but they are associated with a subset of indicators of mental ill-health at age 37/38, suggesting a need for greater investment in resources to address mental health problems for men showing chronic offending; this may even help prevent recidivism.

Source: Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health

DOI: 10.1002/cbm.70025

Authors: Weiwei Wu, Margit Wiesner, Deborah M. Capaldi, Weihua Fan, Norma Olvera

Institutions: University of Houston, Oregon Social Learning Center

Language: English

Topic: Crime Patterns and Interventions

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse