ABSTRACT
This study expands on previous research on adolescent problem behaviors by examining whether different constellations of problem behavior in adolescence differentially impact outcomes during emerging adulthood. Data from the in-home interviews of waves 2 and 3 of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) were used to examine these relationships. Latent class analysis, using nineteen problem behaviors measured at wave 2, identified three classes of adolescents representing “low risk, abstainers,” “sexually-active, experimenters,” and a “high risk, diverse behavior” group. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were then used to identify class differences (measured at wave 3) in social stability, general health and service utilization, and criminal justice system involvement during emerging adulthood. Important class differences in the likelihood of negative outcomes during early adulthood were identified. The implications of these findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Acknowledgment
This research uses data from Add Health, a program project directed by Kathleen Mullan Harris and designed by J. Richard Udry, Peter S. Bearman, and Kathleen Mullan Harris at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and funded by grant P01-HD31921 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, with cooperative funding from 23 other federal agencies and foundations. Special acknowledgment is due Ronald R. Rindfuss and Barbara Entwisle for assistance in the original design. Information on how to obtain the Add Health data files is available on the Add Health website (http://www.cpc.unc.edu/addhealth). No direct support was received from grant P01-HD31921 for this analysis.
Notes
1 These results are available on request.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Kristina K. Childs
KRISTINA K. CHILDS is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Central Florida. Her research interests include juvenile justice system policy, prevention and intervention strategies for juvenile offenders, and increasing access to public health services for adolescent offenders. Recent publications have appeared in Criminal Justice and Behavior, Behavioral Sciences and the Law, and Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice.
Megan Davidson
MEGAN DAVIDSON is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at East Carolina University. Her research focuses on examining criminal justice responses to special populations of offenders, such as those suffering with mental illnesses, substance abuse issues, and/or homelessness. She is particularly interested in evaluating the effectiveness of jail diversion programs, corrections-based rehabilitation programs, and reentry initiatives targeting these special populations of offenders.
Roberto Hugh Potter
ROBERTO HUGH POTTER is a Professor and the Chair of the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Central Florida. His current work focuses on the operations of the criminal justice and community systems, from primary to tertiary prevention of criminal behavior, injury, and infectious diseases. Current research projects include the effectiveness of juvenile justice programs, local-level re-entry programs, the impact of criminal justice organizational decision-making and processing on service delivery, and developing the Epidemiological Criminology framework. Past research has focused on the production, distribution, regulation, and consumption of adult entertainment in Australia.
Jeffrey W. Rosky
JEFFREY W. ROSKY is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Central Florida. His research interests include the intersection of criminal justice and public health, correctional treatment, sentencing, and research methods. Prior to his academic career, he worked as researcher in the Montana and Colorado state correctional systems and as a biostatistician in environmental science, public health, and cardiac care. His work has appeared in Criminology & Public Policy, American Journal of Criminal Justice, and Sexual Abuse.