Characterizing delinquent behavior in early adolescence: Results from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development- Social Development study

Abstract

We examined associations among early delinquency and key personality traits, psychopathology, and environmental factors among youth enrolled in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development - Social Development (ABCD-SD) study, a substudy of the national ABCD study. Establishing these associations at baseline is an important step for identifying early risk factors for delinquent behavior. The ABCD-SD study includes annual assessments of delinquency, victimization, and personality features for participants from five sites (N = 2,426). We used all data from the ABCD-SD baseline assessment (M age = 11.7 years, 48% female). Self-reported race was 53% White, 31% Black, 12% multiracial, with 11% self-identified as Hispanic. Thirty-six percent reported their annual household income was under 50,000USD. Linear regression models were used to examine the association between delinquency and the risk factors of interest. We also examined interactions between each risk factor and sex as well as race (Black compared to White youth). We found that delinquency was associated with lower levels of empathy and fear, and higher levels of impulsivity, aggression, and other externalizing behaviors. Delinquency was also associated with higher levels of antisocial peer affiliation and lower levels of positive parenting practices, neighborhood cohesion, and school engagement. Interactions between key risk factors and sex or race were mostly non-significant. These results provide a comprehensive characterization of associations between delinquency in emerging adolescence and key outcomes across multiple domains in a large, geographically diverse sample.