The Risk of Making False Confessions: The Role of Developmental Disorders, Conduct Disorder, Psychiatric Symptoms, and Compliance.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE\nTo investigate salient predictors of self-reported false confessions. The conditions included mild intellectual disability (ID), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ADHD, conduct disorder (CD), psychiatric symptoms, and compliance.\n\n\nMETHOD\nThe sample consisted of 386 male Scottish prisoners, who completed a diagnostic ADHD interview, psychometric tests, and a questionnaire about false confessions they had given to police over their lifetime.\n\n\nRESULTS\nThere was a high rate of reported false confessions (33.4%); the reason for the majority (62.2%) being to cover up for somebody else. CD, ADHD, psychological distress and psychiatric symptoms, and compliance were all significant predictors of false confession. When examining the influence of underlying domains of ADHD, it was found that hyperactivity/impulsivity drove the association with false confession after adjusting for coexisting CD.\n\n\nCONCLUSION\nCD and ADHD were the two most powerful predictors of false confessions, with CD mediating some of the effects of ADHD.