Am J Psychiatry 1981; 138:1225-1228
Copyright © 1981 by American Psychiatric Association
Differences between midlife female offenders and those younger than 40
AE Daniel, PW Harris and SA Husain
The authors studied 66 women referred for forensic evaluation and
classified them into two age groups: 48 women 17-39 years old composed a
young adult group and 18 women 40-54 years old composed a midlife group.
The midlife group included a significantly larger number of first-time
offenders with a higher frequency of medical as well as psychiatric
disorders. None of the women in the midlife group was diagnosed as having
antisocial personality disorder, but this was the most common diagnosis
among the younger women. The authors note the implications of these
findings for treatment of older female offenders, especially those in
midlife.
