Little is known about the early childhood indicators of adolescent risk. The link between trajectories of externalizing behavioral problems and early adolescent risk behavior was examined in a longitudinal sample of 875 child participants in the LONGSCAN studies. Five trajectory groups of children defined by externalizing behavior problems were identified: Low, Low-Medium, Moderate, Increasing-High, and High. After controlling for demographics and maltreatment, violent/delinquent behavior was significantly predicted by membership in the Moderate and Increasing-High problem behavior groups. Substance use in early adolescence was significantly predicted by membership in the High behavior problem group. These findings suggest that there is a great deal of continuity between patterns of externalizing behavior in childhood and risk-taking in early adolescence. Understanding the course of externalizing behavior in childhood can help identify children at particular risk for more serious behavioral problems in early adolescence.

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The current study is a longitudinal investigation of unobserved heterogeneity in the developmental trajectories of problem behaviors among children who have experienced maltreatment. The goal of this study is to inform effective intervention plans with respect to behavior problems of maltreated children by examining the different trajectories of behavior problems and by assessing ecological risk factors related to each trajectory. This study utilized data from the Longitudinal Study of Child Abuse and Neglect, in which 827 maltreated children have been followed from age 4 to age 10. This study identified five distinctive developmental trajectories of maltreated children. In most trajectory groups, a specific set of ecological risk factors distinctively predicted the probability of membership in a specific group. The results are discussed with respect to individualized early intervention efforts toward those most likely to benefit.

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