Determinants of violence through the life-course

Violence is a major social, justice, and public health problem worldwide, and is the leading cause of death among young people in Latin America. At DOVE, we investigate psychosocial and biological determinants of violence and other antisocial behaviours from childhood through adulthood. We use interviews, questionnaires and criminal records to measure violence and its causes, in the four Pelotas birth cohort studies, following 20,000 children born in Pelotas city in Brazil in 1982, 1993, 2004 and 2015. A seven-year research programme funded by the Wellcome Trust aims to describe the development of aggression and violence in this context, and assess their life-course determinants, including cognitive functioning, empathy, trauma, cortisol levels, parenting practices, community environments, and perceptions of social justice and legal legitimacy.

Funding: Wellcome Trust

References:

1. Martins RC, Gonçalves H, Blumenberg C, et al. School Performance and Young Adult Crime in a Brazilian Birth Cohort. J Dev Life Course Criminol. 2022;8(4):647-668. doi:10.1007/s40865-022-00214-x. PDF

2. Martins-Silva T, Bauer A, Matijasevich A, Santos I, Barros A, Ekelund U, Tovo-Rodrigues L, Murray J. Educational performance and conduct problem trajectories from childhood to adolescence: Observational and genetic associations in a Brazilian birth cohort. JCPP Advances 2022; e1205. PDF

3. Evans I, Heron J, Murray J, Hickman M, Hammerton G. The Influence of Alcohol Consumption on Fighting, Shoplifting and Vandalism in Young Adults. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(7):3509. Published 2021 Mar 28. doi:10.3390/ijerph18073509.PDF

4. Murray J, Hallal P C, Mielke G I, Raine A, Wehrmeister F C, Anselmi L, Barros F C. Low resting heart rate is associated with violence in late adolescence: a prospective birth cohort study in Brazil. International Journal of Epidemiology 2016; 45(2): 491-500. PDF

5. Murray J, Maughan B, Menezes A M B, Hickman M, MacLeod J, Matijasevich A,  Barros F C. Perinatal and sociodemographic factors at birth predicting conduct problems and violence to age 18  years: comparison of Brazilian and British birth cohorts. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 2015; 56(8): 835-932. PDF

6. Murray J, Menezes A M B, Hickman M, Maughan B, Gallo E, Matijasevich A, Victora C. Childhood behaviour problems predict crime and violence in late adolescence: Brazilian and British birth cohort studies. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 2015; 50(4): 579-589. PDF