When the course of aggressive behavior in childhood does not predict antisocial outcomes in adolescence and young adulthood: An examination of potential explanatory variables

Abstract

Theoretical models and empirical studies suggest that there are a number of distinct pathways of aggressive behavior development in childhood that place youth at risk for antisocial outcomes in adolescence and young adulthood. The prediction of later antisocial behavior based on these early pathways, although substantial, is not perfect. The goal of the present study was to identify factors that explain why some boys on a high-risk developmental trajectory in middle childhood do not experience an untoward outcome, and, conversely, why some boys progressing on a low-risk trajectory do become involved in later antisocial behavior. To that end, we explored a set of theoretically derived predictors measured at entrance to elementary and middle school and examined their utility in explaining discordant cases. First-grade reading achievement, race, and poverty status proved to be significant early predictors of discordance, whereas the significant middle-school predictors were parent monitoring, deviant peer affiliation, and neighborhood level of deviant behavior.

A comparison of girls' and boys' aggressive-disruptive behavior trajectories across elementary school: Prediction to young adult antisocial outcomes.

“…Because the models for boys are reported elsewhere (Petras et al, 2004), only the models for girls are presented. Consistent with Muthén et al (2002), information criteria were obtained for one-, two-, three-, and four-class solutions.…”

Early childhood behavior trajectories and the likelihood of experiencing a traumatic event and PTSD by young adulthood

“…However, early childhood aggressive-disruptive behavior is not stable [2] and can be modified by familial and school influences [21, 29]. Thus relying on an average or an assessment assessed at a single time point may not be a reliable predictor to classify children at risk for suspected outcomes in adolescence and young adulthood [37–39]. While children with fairly stable behavioral trajectories throughout the early school years will be correctly identified by a cross sectional snapshot at any age, youth with changing behavior patterns, will have a higher probability of being misclassified if assessed only once.…”

Perceptions of Parenting Practices as Predictors of Aggression in a Low-Income, Urban, Predominately African American Middle School Sample

“…Aggressive behavior in childhood and early adolescence places many youth on a trajectory that involves later engagement in delinquent behaviors, including more serious forms of violence (Loeber & Hay, 1997; Petras et al, 2004). Youth from the most disadvantaged urban communities may be at a higher risk for aggression involvement compared to youth from communities with greater resources and less exposure to violence (Beyers, Loeber, Wikstrom, & Stouthamer-Loeber, 2001; Gorman-Smith, 2003).…”