Recidiva

Recidiva is a term used in several Romance languages, notably Italian and Spanish, to denote the return of a condition after an apparent improvement. In English the closest equivalents are relapse or recidivism, depending on context. The term is used across disciplines to describe a recurrence after a period of remission or nonactivity, rather than a new onset for the first time.

In medical contexts, recidiva refers to the return of a disease after a period of partial or complete remission. This can occur with cancer, infectious diseases, or chronic illnesses. Recurrence may be local, regional, or distant (metastasis in cancer). It can be due to reactivation of residual disease, reinfection, or a new disease event; distinguishing relapse, recurrence, and reinfection is clinically important for treatment planning.

In law and criminology, recidiva denotes the tendency of a convicted person to reoffend after release or completion of a sentence. Recidivism rates are used to evaluate the effectiveness of criminal justice policies and rehabilitation programs. Factors include social support, economic status, mental health, substance use, and quality of supervision.

Measurement of recidiva often involves follow-up periods and specific definitions of what constitutes a reoffense or relapse. Prevention and management strategies differ by domain but commonly include ongoing monitoring, medical or psychosocial rehabilitation, and, in criminal justice, programs aimed at reintegration and reducing risk factors for reoffending.

Etymology traces recidiva to Latin recidivus, meaning to fall back or return, and the term is widely used in Italian, Spanish, and other Romance languages.