Pathways of Behavior Problems From Childhood to Late Adolescence Leading to Delinquency and Academic Underachievement

Abstract

Adolescent delinquency and academic underachievement are both linked with child and adolescent behavior problems. However, little is known about behavioral pathways leading to these adverse outcomes. Children's aggression, opposition, status violations, and property violations scores were collected at ages 5, 10, and 18. Delinquency and academic functioning was rated at age 18. Age 18 status violations were linked to delinquency, and property violations to academic underachievement. Engagement in status and property violations was predicted by childhood opposition. Findings suggest that (a) disaggregated forms of externalizing behavior are needed to understand behavioral pathways to adverse outcomes and (b) prevention of adolescent delinquency and academic underachievement should target childhood opposition.

Notes

¹Note that we refer to academic underachievement, which is operationalized as completing a lower level of education than expected, or dropping out of school. We do not refer to poor academic achievement, which is mostly linked to low cognitive ability.

Note. Entries represent raw data scores. In the statistical analyses, square-root transformed scores for aggression, status violation, and property violations were used. N (age 5) = 297; N (age 10) = 286; N (age 18) = 296.

Note. OP = opposition; AG = aggression; SV = status violations; PV = property violations.

∗p < .05. ∗∗p < .01.