Dyslexia among Swedish prison inmates in relation to neuropsychology and personality

Citation
J. Jensen et al., Dyslexia among Swedish prison inmates in relation to neuropsychology and personality, J INT NEURO, 5(5), 1999, pp. 452-461
Citations number
31
Categorie Soggetti
Neurology
Journal title
JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL SOCIETY
ISSN journal
13556177 → ACNP
Volume
5
Issue
5
Year of publication
1999
Pages
452 - 461
Database
ISI
SICI code
1355-6177(199907)5:5<452:DASPII>2.0.ZU;2-X
Abstract
Several investigations have reported high frequencies of reading and writin g disabilities in criminal populations. The aims of the present study were to assess the frequency of dyslexia among Swedish prison inmates and to rel ate dyslexia to other indices of neuropsychological functions. Sixty-three prison inmates with Swedish as their native language, age 19 to 57 years, w ere examined by interviews, tests of academic achievement, and neuropsychol ogical assessment. Twenty-six (41%) were diagnosed as dyslexic. As expected ,the dyslexic group performed more poorly on verbal tests as compared to th e normal readers among the prison inmates, but they also performed more poo rly on tests measuring nonverbal abilities. The dyslexic group had higher f requencies of paranoid and avoidant personality disorders compared to the n ondyslexics. They also reported higher levels of anxiety and suspicion and a lower degree of socialization. Previous studies report low IQ to be assoc iated with criminal propensity, supporting the interpretation that a double handicap (dyslexia and low IQ) increases the risk of entering a criminal c areer and remaining in it.