Associations Between Childhood and Adolescence Adversity and Risk for Arrest Among Patients With First-Episode Psychosis

Objective: The authors assessed associations between childhood and adolescent adversity and arrest among individuals with first-episode psychosis (FEP). The authors also sought to determine which domains of adversity had the greatest impact and whether associations varied by gender. Methods: Data were analyzed from 247 patients with FEP admitted to inpatient psychiatric units between August 2008 and June 2013. Analyses focused on self-reported history of arrest and seven scales of past adversity, with 14 subscales reduced to three factors. Binary logistic regression and negative binomial regression determined associations between the three childhood adversity factors and having ever been arrested and number of arrests, respectively. Results: Past experience of violence and environmental adversity was significantly (p<0.001) associated with both history of arrest (odds ratio=2.29) and number of arrests (beta=0.60), and this association was stronger for female patients than for male patients. Conclusions: Findings suggest a need to address both past adversity and criminal justice system involvement in the context of early psychosis specialty care.