Traumatic Brain Injury, Resting Heart Rate, and Violence in Adult Homeless Males

• In Event: The Heart, the Brain and the Gut: Different Biological Perspectives on Behavior

Abstract

Previous research has established a relationship between traumatic brain injury (TBI) and criminality. There is also research that suggests a relationship between low resting heart rate (HR) and decreased resting skin conductance (SC) activity in criminal individuals. The current study includes 100 homeless adult males from an inner-city rescue mission. Crime data was collected through the use of the Adult Extension of the National Youth Survey self-report delinquency measure and TBI data was collected with the Ohio State University TBI Identification Method. Biopac equipment was used to collect heart rate and skin conductance data. It is predicted that resting heart rate and skin conductance will mediate the relationship between the number of traumatic brain injuries and the total number of violent crimes. Specifically, higher number of TBI’s will be associated with lower resting HR and decreased SC activity, which in turn leads to a greater amount of violent crimes. It is also expected that HR and SC will similarly mediate the relationship between TBI’s and nonviolent crimes, and TBI’s and number of total crimes. These findings will help researchers better understand the link between traumatic brain injury, crime, and the role that deficits in physiological arousal have in that relationship.

Authors

• Everett Delfel, California State University, Long Beach

• Jeremy Feiger, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

• Adriana Hernandez, California State University, Long Beach

• Stephanie Soto, California State University, Long Beach

• Robert Schug, California State University, Long Beach