Antisocial Behavior, Delinquent Peer Association, and Unsupervised Wandering for Boys: Growth and Change from Childhood to Early Adolescence

Abstract

Latent growth curve analysis was used to study individual differences in initial status and growth rates of antisocial behavior, delinquent peer association, and unsupervised wandering during the transition from childhood to early adolescence for a sample of 206, primarily working-class, European-American boys. All three constructs showed significant individual differences in initial status at Grade 4 and growth rates from Grade 4 to Grade 8. Wandering and delinquent peer association showed positive mean trends. Linear growth curves adequately described growth for delinquent peer association and antisocial behavior. Growth on wandering was linear up to Grade 7 and then showed positive acceleration from Grade 7 to Grade 8. All three constructs were highly related at the initial assessment point. Individual differences in growth rates were highly correlated on all three constructs. The findings were discussed in terms of the trait-confluence model for peer influence on antisocial behavior.