A false dichotomy? Mental illness and lone-actor terrorism

Bibliographic Data

ID19600314
AuthorsEmily Corner (0000-0002-4750-8480, University College London), Paul Gill (0000-0002-9606-9197, University College London)
Year2014
Volume39
Issue1
Pages23-34
Publication date2014-08-18
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLaw and Human Behavior (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0147-7307 • E-ISSN: 1573-661X
PublisherAmerican Psychological Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1037/lhb0000102
PMID25133916
OpenAlexW2066403976
LanguageEN
Citations received65
References cited27

We test whether significant differences in mental illness exist in a matched sample of lone- and group-based terrorists. We then test whether there are distinct behavioral differences between lone-actor terrorists with and without mental illness. We then stratify our sample across a range of diagnoses and again test whether significant differences exist. We conduct a series of bivariate, multivariate, and multinomial statistical tests using a unique dataset of 119 lone-actor terrorists and a matched sample of group-based terrorists. The odds of a lone-actor terrorist having a mental illness is 13.49 times higher than the odds of a group actor having a mental illness. Lone actors who were mentally ill were 18.07 times more likely to have a spouse or partner who was involved in a wider movement than those without a history of mental illness. Those with a mental illness were more likely to have a proximate upcoming life change, more likely to have been a recent victim of prejudice, and experienced proximate and chronic stress. The results identify behaviors and traits that security agencies can utilize to monitor and prevent lone-actor terrorism events. The correlated behaviors provide an image of how risk can crystalize within the individual offender and that our understanding of lone-actor terrorism should be multivariate in nature

Mental health · Mental illness · Odds · Psychiatry · Sociology · Spouse · Terrorism · Clinical Psychology · Crime Patterns and Interventions · Medicine · Psychology · Social Psychology · Suicide and Self-Harm Studies · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence

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