Do Antisocial Females Exhibit Poor Outcomes in Adulthood? An Australian Cohort Study

Abstract

Both males and females exhibiting AO and LCP antisocial behaviour are at increased risk of serious adverse outcomes in young adulthood. The significant loss to follow up of high-risk groups suggests the important relationship between early antisocial behaviour and problems in adulthood have been underestimated. Further research is required to understand antisocial behaviour in adolescence, identify factors that reinforce its continuity into adulthood, and identify interventions which are able to modify adult outcomes.

Age-Graded Pathways into Crime: Evidence from a Multi-Site Retrospective Study of Incarcerated Women

“…The most common current offense for respondents (for which they were serving a sentence or awaiting disposition) was drug-related (32 %), and many respondents reported criminal records and past experience with the criminal justice system (e.g., arrests, jail, and/or prison terms). 10 All-in-all, these women are fairly typical of incarcerated women in the USA and Canada. 8 Those serving weekend or "shock" incarceration sentences were excluded from the sampling frame.…”

“…Due to the potential for important contextual differences, our analyses include dummy codes for the specific data collection sites. 10 Sixty-percent had been convicted of a felony prior to their current incarceration, 59 % had served at least one jail term as an adult, and 98 % had been arrested at least one before.…”

“…There are several important gaps in the criminal career literature as it relates to females (see, e.g. [10]), but one of the most controversial relates to the age of onset. Specifically, some research has suggested that adult-onset offending is a common phenomenon among females [8,19,20,23,24,34,57,62] and that this population of offenders has distinct risk factors in contrast to early or adolescent initiators [49].…”

Comorbid alcohol and mental health disorders: a longitudinal analysis of development to young adulthood

“…Longitudinal studies, including the MUSP, the Dunedin cohorts and the Australian Temperament Study, have shown that antisocial behaviours persist into adulthood. Those who manifest these from childhood and adolescence exhibit higher levels of substance abuse, poorer adjustment in relationships (204) and elevated symptoms of anxiety and depression (205,206). Interestingly, antisocial behaviour has not however been shown to predict alcoholic bingeing (205), which is commonly associated with acts of violence; it is possible that other temporalities apply.…”

“…Those who manifest these from childhood and adolescence exhibit higher levels of substance abuse, poorer adjustment in relationships (204) and elevated symptoms of anxiety and depression (205,206). Interestingly, antisocial behaviour has not however been shown to predict alcoholic bingeing (205), which is commonly associated with acts of violence; it is possible that other temporalities apply. In the following section, the associations between alcohol and violence and mental health and violence will first be considered separately, after which commonalities and any literature on comorbidity and violence will be discussed.…”