Survey of factors related to criminal behavior in a sample of Iranian substance abusers

ObjectivesMany countries including Iran have a high rate of substance abuse. It is essential for public health and law enforcement strategies to know the causes and consequences of substance abuse and its relation to crimes.MethodsIn a prospective case–control study, covering a period of one year starting from March 21, 2010, 125 cases with criminal behavior and 125 cases with no history of criminal behavior were studied.ResultsEight percent of our studied population had a previous history of psychological disorder. Most of our cases were cigarette users (78.4%). Forty-two cases had a history of alcohol abuse (16.8%). Modern drugs were the most common type of drugs (56%) being used. Multivariate analysis using logistic regression revealed that criminal behavior was correlated with divorce (RR = 5.35; 95% CI = 1.59–16.01; P = 0.023), history of alcohol use (RR = 2.63; 95% CI = 1.11–6.22; P = 0.027), history of psychological disorder (RR = 4.97; 95% CI = 1.44–17.20; P = 0.011), Modern drug use (RR = 4.86; 95% CI = 2.01–11.76; P = 0.001) and starting drug abuse at an early age (RR = 0.94; 95% CI = 0.88–0.99; P = 0.03).ConclusionsRisk factors for criminal behavior among substance abusers include being divorced, history of alcohol abuse, history of psychological disorder, modern drug abuse and starting drug abuse at an early age.