Childhood Head Injury as an Acquired Neuropsychological Risk Factor for Adolescent Delinquency

• Author: Jessica Mongilio
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/00224278221081140
• Published date: 01 November 2022
• Date: 01 November 2022
• Subject Matter: Original Research Articles

Childhood Head

Injury as an Acquired

Neuropsychological

Risk Factor for

Adolescent

Delinquency

Jessica Mongilio, M.A

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to parse out the effects of childhood head injury

(HI) as an acquired neuropsychological deficit that impacts adolescent

delinquent behavior, while accounting for other early-life risk factors and

potential temporal ordering. Methods: Nationally representative prospec-

tive data from the UK Millennium Cohort Study (MCS; N =13,287) and

a series of logistic and binomial regressions are used to examine the rela-

tionship between early-life risk factors, HI, and adolescent delinquent

behavior. Methodological considerations from clinical HI research, such as

the use of an orthopedic injury comparison group, are incorporated.

Results: Findings are consistent with the conceptualization of HI as an

acquired neuropsychological deficit, in that childhood HI increases the

Department of Sociology and Criminology, The Pennsylvania State University, 211 Oswald

Tower, University Park, PA 16802

Email: jmm1197@psu.edu

Corresponding Author:

Jessica Mongilio, M.A, Department of Sociology and Criminology, The Pennsylvania State

University, 211 Oswald Tower, University Park, PA 16802.

Email: jmm1197@psu.edu

Original Research Article

Journal of Research in Crime and

Delinquency

2022, Vol. 59(6) 756–790

© The Author(s) 2022

Article reuse guidelines:

sagepub.com/journals-permissions

DOI: 10.1177/00224278221081140

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risk of early- and adolescent-onset delinquency, sustained delinquent behav-

ior from childhood to early adolescence, and participation in a greater vari-

ety of delinquent behavior. Conclusions: Childhood HI is relatively common,

as over 27% of the sample reported at least one HI. The importance of HI

as an acquired neuropsychological deficit and its relevance as a risk factor

for later criminal behavior is reiterated. Future research should examine

the importance of developmental period effects and mechanisms underlying

this relationship.

The psychological, emotional, and behavioral complications that arise

after experiencing a head injury (HI), such as a concussion, are numerous

and potentially detrimental across the lifespan (Crowe 2008; Eslinger,

Flaherty-Craig, and Benton 2004; Karver et al. 2012; Yeates and

Taylor 2005). Damage to the brain during childhood may disrupt

neural and psychosocial development, which developmental and bioso-

cial theories of crime suggest would influence later criminal behavior

(Farrington 2006; Moffitt 1993; Moffitt and Caspi 2001). Research con-

sistently finds associations between HI and criminality (Durand et al.

2017; D. Fishbein et al. 2016; Huw Williams et al. 2010; Kaba et al.

2014; Luukkainen et al. 2012; Schofield et al. 2015; Schwartz,

Connolly, and Brauer 2017; Schwartz, Connolly, and Valgardson

2018; Vaughn et al. 2019), but the vast majority of these studies

examine this relationship among either adults or incarcerated adoles-

cents. Little is known about the effect of childhood head injury on

onset of antisocial behaviors. While HI at any point in the lifespan has

the potential to change brain functioning and subsequent behaviors

(see Schwartz et al. 2019 for review), animal models suggest that HI

during childhood or adolescence may be even more detrimental to nor-

mative development (Guilhaume-Correa et al. 2020; Zhao et al. 2018).

During this time, the brain goes though marked changes in both structure

and function, making it more susceptible to environmental influences

(Karver et al. 2012).

Based on biosocial theories of crime, individuals who experience some

sort of early-life trauma, such as a HI, should be more likely to initiate delin-

quent behavior early and engage in more serious delinquent behaviors

(Moffitt 1993; Moffitt and Caspi 2001). As early onset of criminal or

Mongilio 757

delinquent behavior is predictive of frequent, serious, and persistent behav-

ior throughout the life-course, an in-depth exploration into HI is warranted

(LeBlanc and Loeber 1990, 1998). Part of this increased likelihood of

serious delinquency could be due to the acquired neuropsychological defi-

cits that follow a head injury. Previous literature has established neuropsy-

chological deficits—and specifically HI—as important risk factors for

impulsivity, aggression, and substance use (Beaver et al. 2010; Bonow

et al. 2019; D. Fishbein et al. 2016; Huw Williams et al. 2010; Kennedy,

Heron, and Munafò 2017; Perron and Howard 2008; Schwartz 2019;

Schwartz et al. 2017, 2018; Vaughn et al. 2014), all of which could lead

toward onset or acceleration of criminal behavior (LeBlanc and Loeber

1990, 1998).

Research on the behavioral correlates of HI tends to fall under the

purview of either clinical or criminological research. These two fields

offer relatively different perspectives and foci on the study of HI, some-

times to the detriment of further progress in HI research. Clinical litera-

ture tends to focus on moderate to severe HIs, which are much less

common than mild HIs (Frost et al. 2013), while criminological literature

tends to focus on offenders with a history of HI, which introduces selec-

tion issues (Schwartz 2019; Schwartz et al. 2017; see Connolly and

McCormick 2019 for exception). While clinical samples provide useful

insights on the potentially severe effects of HI, they are not representa-

tive of the general population that experiences a HI. It has been estimated

that up to 50% of young adults with mild HIs—which are far more

common than their more severe counterparts—do not seek medical atten-

tion (Demakis and Rimland 2010), leaving much of the population with

HIs outside of the scope of clinical studies. On the other hand, crimino-

logical studies of offender populations shed light on the prevalence of

head injuries among incarcerated populations, which ranges from 46%

to 60% (Durand et al. 2017; Farrer and Hedges 2011), but do little to

address whether HI has any influence on initiation and persistence of

criminal behavior or whether HIs occur as a consequence of involvement

in criminal and potentially dangerous behavior. Additionally, the use of

convicted samples in criminology research excludes those who have a

history of HI but have not come into contact with the criminal justice

system.

Furthermore, methodological complications exist in the study of HI,

many of which involve the operationalization of the injury variable itself.

Most clinical studies use diagnostic scales, which allow for relatively

precise measures of HI severity (Bonow et al. 2019; Light et al. 1998;

758 Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 59(6)