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A new study suggests that children who fight against certain infections are more likely to commit violent crime later in life.
The study, conducted on more than 2.2 million people, found that children who develop central nervous system infections during their first year of life have 20% more risk of being convicted. at puberty.
Central nervous system infection includes meningitis, encephalitis, and herpes virus that can cause cold sores.
The infection activates the immune system, resulting in inflammation as a first line of defense against the invasion of bacteria or viruses.
Swedish researchers believe that this inflammation affects the development of brain regions responsible for regulating aggression and violence.
The research was conducted by the Karolinska Institute of Stockholm, led by Asa Bloemstrom, Department of Clinical Neuroscience.
The extent to which violent behavior is related to genetics or the environment, or the combination of both, is a long controversy.
However, no previous study has examined whether brain infections in children were associated with violent criminal acts at puberty.
To investigate, the researchers analyzed more than 2 million and 200,000 people born in Sweden between 1973 and 1995. The team reviewed the participants' medical records to determine the number of injuries that they had suffered before the age of 14 years old.
The researchers then compared these results with the convictions listed in the register of crimes committed between 15 and 38 years.
The findings revealed that participants admitted to the hospital for childhood infection were 14% more likely to be convicted of violent crimes later in their lives.
The infection during the first year of life also increased the risk by 20%, the first 12 months of life being the most important moment for brain development.
The results also revealed that infection of the central nervous system increased the risk of a "violent future" by 20%. But the infection that affects the rest of the body does not involve such risks.
This may be due to the fact that central nervous system infection is usually "more serious", with an increased risk of death.
It should be noted that all results remained true even after researchers changed factors such as education, income, and self-confidence.
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