A developmental perspective on antisocial behavior.

Abstract

A developmental model of antisocial behavior is outlined. Recent findings are reviewed that concern the etiology and course of antisocial behavior from early childhood through adolescence. Evidence is presented in support of the hypothesis that the route to chronic delinquency is marked by a reliable developmental sequence of experiences. As a first step, ineffective parenting practices are viewed as determinants for childhood conduct disorders. The general model also takes into account the contextual variables that influence the family interaction process. As a second step, the conduct-disordered behaviors lead to academic failure and peer rejection. These dual failures lead, in turn, to increased risk for depressed mood and involvement in a deviant peer group. This third step usually occurs during later childhood and early adolescence. It is assumed that children following this developmental sequence are at high risk for engaging in chronic delinquent behavior. Finally, implications for prevention and intervention are discussed.

Adolescent illicit drug use and subsequent academic and psychosocial adjustment: An examination of socially-mediated pathways

“…We found identical results, suggesting that intensity of drug use had no substantive impact on study conclusions. Second, we investigated the possibility that effects of illicit drug use on academic achievement (in grade 8) might mediate associations with subsequent conduct problems (Patterson et al, 1989) and especially school dropout (Townsend et al, 2007). We found no indirect pathway for any of the two outcomes.…”

The influence of childhood maltreatment on adolescents’ academic performance

“…This is consistent with the possibility that episodes of maltreatment are symptomatic of multiple aversive aspects of the shared family milieu. Under this perspective, dynamics associated with negative family interactions (Patterson et al, 1989) could lead to maltreatment of all children and also could increase the likelihood that they have difficulty in school. Because maltreatment and the broader family environment may be intertwined, efforts by researchers to disentangle family dynamics in order to express the unique effects of maltreatment could be unconstructive.…”

“…The model is based on the idea, advocated by Shonk & Cicchetti (2001), that childhood maltreatment can influence children's performance of competencies (e.g., engagement in academic tasks) that are necessary for optimal learning and achievement in school. At the top of Figure 1, family background affects the subsequent incidence of emotional and behavioral problems (Arrows A 1 , A 2 , and A 3 ) through the effects of parent-child interactions (e.g., Patterson, DeBaryshe, & Ramsey, 1989;Ramey & Ramey, 2000), from childhood into adolescence (Costello, Angold & Keeler, 1999;Hofstra, Van der Ende & Verhulst, 2002). The influence of family background on development of conventional scholastic skills (Leibowitz, 1974), such as word knowledge, literacy, and quantitative reasoning, is represented separately (Arrows B 1 to B 4 ).…”

Mediators and Moderators of Parental Involvement on Substance Use: A National Study of Adolescents

“…Theories with a mediation focus often assert that inept parenting or poor family relations lead to socially unskilled adolescents or adolescents without ties to conventional society, who are consequently more likely to do poorly in school and thus be accepted into a deviant peer group in which substance use occurs (Hawkins & Weis, 1985;Patterson et al, 1989;Thornberry, 1987). Many of these theories have their roots in "social control theory," which suggests that individuals refrain from committing acts of deviance because of social and cultural constraints on their behavior and thus weak attachment to parents leads to increased deviance (Hirschi, 1969).…”