Biological psychiatry
October 17, 2025 · via Europe PMC
The Familial Co-Aggregation of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Criminal Convictions: A Register-Based Cohort Study.
Oskarsson S, Kuja-Halkola R, Andersson A, Tuvblad C, Brikell I, D'Onofrio B, Chang Z, Larsson H.
AI summary — for doctors, generated from the abstract only
In 1.5 million Swedes, ADHD was associated with higher risk of criminal convictions, more so in women, and relatives of people with ADHD also had elevated conviction risk, suggesting shared familial liability.
What was studied
A nationwide register-based cohort of 1,507,211 individuals born in Sweden 1987-2002, using Cox regression to estimate associations between clinically diagnosed ADHD and criminal convictions in individuals and across relatives from twins to cousins.
Key findings
- Individuals with ADHD had significantly higher risk of violent and nonviolent convictions
- Risk was significantly higher for women with ADHD than men
- Relatives of individuals with ADHD had increased conviction risk, with sex-based variation
- Patterns consistent with genetic contributions
Clinical relevance
This suggests clinicians may consider family history and sex when assessing risk in ADHD, and supports early prevention efforts, without implying individual determinism.
Who should care
Limitations
Register data capture only diagnosed ADHD and official convictions; specific hazard ratios not reported in the abstract; residual confounding possible.
ADHD and criminal convictions cluster in families, with a notably stronger link in women.
This is an AI-generated summary of the published abstract, not a clinical recommendation. It may not reflect the full text or subsequent updates — verify against the original source before acting on it.
Abstract
Background
The association between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and criminality is well established, but little is known about the familial liability of ADHD and crime across different types of relatives, from twins to cousins. In this study, we aimed to clarify the association between ADHD and crime by examining their co-aggregation both in the general population and across a range of familial relationships in a nationwide population-based sample, including separate analyses for men and women.
Methods
We analyzed data from 1,507,211 individuals born in Sweden between 1987 and 2002. Using Cox proportional hazard regressions, we estimated the associations between clinically diagnosed ADHD and official crime records in individuals and families.
Results
Analyses showed that individuals with ADHD had a significantly higher risk of being convicted of any crime-violent or nonviolent-compared with individuals without ADHD, with the risk being significantly higher for women than men. Additionally, individuals with a relative diagnosed with ADHD were at increased risk of criminal convictions, with some sex-based variations.
Conclusions
ADHD and criminal convictions co-aggregate within families, consistent with shared familial liability. Patterns across relatives and sexes suggest genetic contributions, with stronger associations in women. These findings may help inform risk assessment and prevention efforts.
DOI
10.1016/j.biopsych.2025.10.007
PMID
41109618
Research metadata (titles, abstracts, authors, publication dates) is sourced from Europe PMC, which aggregates content from PubMed/MEDLINE, PubMed Central, and other providers under the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM/NCBI). NLM does not claim copyright on abstracts; the original journal publishers or authors may hold rights to the full articles. AI-generated summaries are derived only from the abstract, never the full text, and are always labeled as AI-generated.
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