Physical and geographical correlates of deviant behavior

Abstract

AIM: To study the potential role of physical environmental factors in the development of deviant behavior in population groups residing in different territories. MATERIAL AND METHODS: At the initial phase of the study, we identified the key physical and geographical factors of the environment and assessed the indicators of social and criminal tension in 14 regions of Russia. In total, 1815 male and female students, aged 18–28 years, who were native residents of the selected regions, participated in the field research. During the field stage, the psychological state of the participants was assessed using the Freiburg multifactorial personality questionnaire. This assessment included evaluating character accentuations, suggestibility, frustration, irritability, adventurousness, as well as social activity and destructiveness. Additionally, the participants’ «prosociality-asociality» and type of behavioral activity (A–B) were examined. The subjects’ experience with psychoactive substances was self-reported. Associations between the variables were studied by correlation analysis. RESULTS: The average annual temperature was inversely associated with crime rates (p=0.012), number of abortions (p=0.0001), degree of alcoholization (p=0.004), and the proportion of smokers (p=0.011) in the population. Positive correlations were observed between annual temperature, and the level of narcotic substances consumption (p=0.05 and p=0.23 for men and women, respectively), spontaneous aggressiveness (p=0.63 and p=0.024), frustration (p=0.63 and p=0.024), irritability (p=0.068 and p=0.004), asociality (p=0.004 and p=0.247). Lower temperatures were associated with, greater single dose of alcohol (p=0.086 and p=0.033 in men and women, respectively), suggestibility (p=0.189 and p=0.049), emotivity (p=0.21 and p=0.05). The comfort of the environment was inversely associated with suicide rates (p=0.039). In men, comfort was positively associated with consumption of narcotic substances (p=0.05), reactive aggressiveness (p=0.024), irritability (p=0.041), asociality (p=0.011), adventurism (p=0.001), and severity of cardiotype A (p=0.018) while political activity correlated inversely with comfort (p=0.035). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that physical and geographical factors correlate with social, psychological and behavioral deviations among Russian students.