Is Steroid Use Linked to Criminal Offending?

The results of a study examining the possible role of anabolic steroid use  in criminal offending are presented in the November, 2006 issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.  A team of researchers led by Fia Klötz of  Uppsala University, Sweden examined 1,440 Swedish respondents tested for steroid use between 1995 and 2001.  The 241 respondents who tested positive for steroid use were found to be significanly more likely to have been convicted of a weapons or fraud offense than the 1,199 respondents in the control group.  No significant difference was found between the two groups for violent or property offenses. The link between weapons offenses and steroid use was found to persist even when substance abuse history was ruled out. While steroid use had been previously implicated in impulsive violence, the study findings suggest that it may be linked to other aspects of antisocial behaviour.

The study abstract can be found here.  The full-length article is also available.