Sober-state cortisol as a predictor of drunken violence

Abstract

Basal cortisol levels were compared in prisoners convicted of violent crimes, in men previously convicted of violent crimes but currently not in prison, in non-violent alcoholics, and in randomly selected control males. Most of the violent men were diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder (DSM-III-R 301.70). Morning, afternoon, and evening levels of plasma cortisol were assessed after a minimum alcohol abstinence of 24 h. The imprisoned violent men had significantly lower cortisol levels than the unimprisoned, which may reflect their prolonged alcohol abstinence and/or habituation to chronic stress. The unimprisoned violent men were heavy drinkers and their elevated sober-state cortisol may reflect temporary alcohol withdrawal or acute stress. We suggest that variations in basal cortisol are influenced more by environmental factors than by violent predisposition or antisocial personality disorder.