Characteristics of suicides of young people in Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil, from 2010 to 2016.

The purpose of this study was to describe demographic, toxicological, criminal, and medicolegal characteristics of suicides of young people aged up to 24 years examined by the Porto Alegre Medicolegal Office, from 2010 to 2016. This cross-sectional study collected data from the Porto Alegre Medicolegal Office and the Rio Grande do Sul State Police Department. The information was obtained from death certificates, toxicological analyses and police reports. Rates were calculated according to sex and age range (under 15 years old, 15 to 19 years old, and 20 to 24 years old) for comparing local with national data. There were 143 people who died by suicide in the period, 120 males and 23 females. Hanging was the most frequently used method, but in the range of 10 to 14 years old, firearm use was the predominant method. Fifty percent of male victims and 30% of female victims had some criminal history. Suicide rates in the study groups generally followed national trends. The relative frequency of suicide by firearm in this study diverged from international findings, as it was relatively more frequent in children under 15 years old and less frequent in older ranges. If confirmed, the finding draws attention to access to firearms in this age range. In older age ranges, adolescents and young adults were frequently involved in the criminal system. This finding may be useful for planning interventions involving both mental health education and screening for problems that may be associated with criminal involvement.

Association between different types of childhood trauma and parental bonding with antisocial traits in adulthood: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: ASPD describes individuals with a pervasive pattern of disregard for the rights of others that begins in childhood and continues into adulthood. The relationship between parental bonding, trauma, and ASPD is well established, however, it remains unclear what types of trauma or which patterns of bonding are more associated with ASPD. OBJECTIVES: Review the literature regarding what types of trauma and bonding characteristics were related to antisocial personality traits. METHOD: Systematic searches of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scielo for studies about the relationship between antisocial personality traits and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and/or the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI). RESULTS: 357 abstracts were selected, and 18 studies met the inclusion criteria. Regarding CTQ, the most consistent finding was the association between physical abuse and neglect to antisocial traits. Sexual abuse was the variable least related to antisocial traits. Regarding PBI, the most consistent finding was the inverse relationship between maternal and paternal care and antisocial traits. Concerning overprotection, the data is less consistent. Also, there was a considerable heterogenity between studies. CONCLUSIONS: The literature little explores how these variables interact with each other. Thus, more studies are important to aidpolitical,educational, and public health programs to create preventive initiatives for ASPD.

Sociodemographic, criminal and forensic characteristics of a sample of female children and adolescents murdered in Brazil. 2010-2016 / Características sociodemográficas, criminales y médico-legales de una muestra de niñas y adolescentes víctimas de homicidio en Brasil. 2010-2016

Abstract Introduction: In Brazil, violence, regardless of the type, is the leading cause of death in adolescents and young adults. Objective: To describe the characteristics of the homicides in which female children and adolescents were the victims based on the autopsy reports recorded in the morgue of the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil. Materials and methods: Cross-sectional study in which 70 autopsy reports of girls and female adolescents who were killed between January 2010 and December 2016 were analyzed. The cases were evaluated according to the homicide motive or the homicide perpetrator, and five categories were established: drug trafficking related death, femicide, homicide perpetrated by a family member, death preceded by sexual violence, and death related to other transgressions. Results: There was a significant increase in the number of girls and female adolescents who were murdered between 2010 (n=7) and 2016 (n=19). Most of the homicides (64.2%) were related to drug, while femicide occurred in 15.7% of the cases. Homicides perpetrated by a family member, or preceded by sexual violence or related with other transgressions were less frequent as they occurred in 10%, 5.7% and 4.2% of the cases, respectively. Conclusion: Greater attention must be paid to the increase in the number of drug trafficking related homicides among female adolescents when creating and implementing relevant public policies.

Resumen Introducción. En Brasil, la violencia, en sus diferentes manifestaciones, es la primera causa de muerte entre adolescentes y adultos jóvenes de ambos sexos. Objetivo. Describir las características de los homicidios de niñas y adolescentes registrados en la morgue de Porto Alegre, Brasil. Materiales y métodos. Estudio transversal que analizó 70 pericias de necropsia de jóvenes víctimas de homicidio entre enero de 2010 y diciembre de 2016. Los casos fueron evaluados según los motivos de los crímenes, identificando 5 categorías: muertes causadas por tráfico de drogas, feminicidios, homicidios familiares, muertes por violencia sexual y homicidios relacionados con otras infracciones legales. Resultados. Hubo un aumento significativo en el número de niñas y mujeres adolescentes víctimas de homicidio entre 2010 (n=7) y 2016 (n=19). La mayoría de casos estuvieron relacionados con el tráfico de estupefacientes (64.2%), mientras que los casos de feminicidio representaron 15.7% da la muestra. Los homicidios cometidos por un familiar, los precedidos de violencia sexual y aquellos relacionados con otras actividades ilegales fueron menos frecuentes con un 10%, 5.7% y 4.2%, respectivamente. Conclusiones. Es necesario prestar más atención al aumento de los homicidios en esta población relacionados con el tráfico de estupefacientes a la hora de crear e implementar políticas públicas al respecto.