Childhood predictors differentiate life-course persistent and adolescence-limited antisocial pathways among males and females

Dev Psychopathol. 2001 Spring;13(2):355-75. doi: 10.1017/s0954579401002097.

Abstract

This article reports a comparison on childhood risk factors of males and females exhibiting childhood-onset and adolescent-onset antisocial behavior, using data from the Dunedin longitudinal study. Childhood-onset delinquents had childhoods of inadequate parenting, neurocognitive problems, and temperament and behavior problems, whereas adolescent-onset delinquents did not have these pathological backgrounds. Sex comparisons showed a male-to-female ratio of 10:1 for childhood-onset delinquency but a sex ratio of only 1.5:1 for adolescence-onset delinquency. Showing the same pattern as males, childhood-onset females had high-risk backgrounds but adolescent-onset females did not. These findings are consistent with core predictions from the taxonomic theory of life-course persistent and adolescence-limited antisocial behavior.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adolescent Behavior / psychology*
  • Antisocial Personality Disorder / diagnosis*
  • Antisocial Personality Disorder / epidemiology
  • Antisocial Personality Disorder / psychology
  • Cognition Disorders / diagnosis
  • Cognition Disorders / epidemiology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Parent-Child Relations
  • Parenting
  • Risk Factors
  • Sex Factors
  • Temperament
  • Time Factors