Joint Trajectories of Symptoms of Disruptive Behavior Problems and Depressive Symptoms During Early Adolescence and Adjustment Problems During Emerging Adulthood

Abstract

The joint, longitudinal trajectories of symptoms of disruptive behavior problems and of depression were examined in a community sample drawn from neighborhoods with elevated rates of delinquency. Growth mixture modeling was applied to a 6 year transition period from childhood to adolescence, age 10 to 16 years, to identify latent classes of trajectories for each symptom type. Several classes emerged for the two types of symptoms, namely a group of youth with high levels of disruptive behavior, a group with increasing levels, and a group with low levels, as well as a group with increasing levels of depression, a group with high levels, a group with decreasing levels, and a group with low levels. Within each symptom type, membership in either the high or in the increasing classes was related to a variety of problematic outcomes during emerging adulthood. The co-occurrence of the disruptive behavior and depression classes was then evaluated using parallel process analysis. Youth exhibiting high depressive symptoms were at increased risk for disruptive behavior problems, and youth with increasing disruptive behavior problems were at risk for depressive symptoms. However, only a very small number of youth had both a high depression trajectory and a high disruptive behavior trajectory. Implications of the findings for the design of prevention and treatment programs are discussed.

The trajectories of child’s internalizing and externalizing problems, social competence and adolescent self-reported problems in a Finnish normal population sample

“…parental psychopathology or hostility) which expose the child to maladjustment (Achenbach, 2001). Internalizing problems, such as depression, may also be a risk factor for externalizing problems such as antisocial behavior or vice versa, as studies of the developmental cascade model mentioned above and other studies (Lee & Bukowski, 2012;Reinke et al, 2012;Ritakallio et al, 2008) have shown. It has also been hypothesized that co-occurrence is a distinct syndrome (Fanti & Henrich, 2010;O'Connor, McGuire, Reiss, Hetherington, & Plomin, 1998).…”

Addiction and crime: The importance of asymmetry in offending and the life-course

“…Still, other studies have found links between early aggressive/externalizing behaviors and drug use outcomes such as alcohol and drug use, problem drinking, drug abuse, alcohol-impaired driving, and alcohol and other drug use disorders during adulthood. [26][27][28][29] All in all, evidence from a variety of studies suggests that childhood behavior problems-particularly those that begin early in childhood and stretch into adolescence-are a portent of alcohol and drug abuse problems later in life. In our view, extant research suggests that a serious commitment to early prevention should include pre-, peri-, and post-natal environments as well as early supportive interventions for toddlers and children evincing difficult temperaments.…”

Age of conduct disorder onset and comorbid anxiety and depression

“…One possibility is that this particular group of youth with late onset CD and ADHD may have displayed more mild disruptive behavior and/or emotional control problems characteristic of oppositional defiant disorder, but did not engage in behaviors consistent with diagnostic criteria for CD. Their disruptive and/or disinhibited behaviors may have contributed to negative relationships across family, academic, and peer domains that, over time, progressively cascaded into conduct and depression problems in adolescence (Capaldi, 1992;Reinke, Eddy, Dishion, & Reid, 2012). These youth may also be part of a subset of individuals who experience emotional dysregulation (e.g.…”

“…Finally, it is possible later onset CD might develop as a result of mood difficulties. Youth might first experience worsening irritability and thoughts of hopelessness, which may lead them to 'act out' and identify with a deviant peer group in adolescence; this in turn leads to worsening conduct problems (Kofler et al, 2011;Reinke et al, 2012).…”