A Longitudinal Assessment of the Development of Antisocial Behavior in Boys: Rationale, Methodology, and First-Year Results

Abstract

The long-term consequences of antisocial behavior in children are well documented. Yet little is known about the pattern of development and sequence of antisocial behaviors in home and school settings. This article describes the rationale, methodology, and measures of a 5-year longitudinal research study of the development of antisocial behaviors in a high-risk population of boys in school settings. Subjects for this longitudinal study are 80 fifth-grade boys divided into two separate cohorts. These subjects were a subset of a sample of 200 boys included in an extensive study of the role of family variables in the development of antisocial behavior. Results from the first year of the study regarding 35 boys of Cohort I are presented in this paper. Multiple assessment methods were used including direct observations of social interactions in free-play activities and academic engaged time in classroom activities, teacher ratings of social skills, and examination of student records. Results indicated that subjects in the group more at risk for engaging in antisocial behavior were significantly different from subjects in the control group in their amounts of academic engaged time, frequencies of negative interactions with peers in playground situations, frequency of discipline contacts, and in teacher ratings of their social skills. Implications for identifying patterns and sequences of antisocial behavior are discussed

Basında Yer Alan Okullarda Şiddet İle İlgili Olayların Değerlendirilmesi

“…Nelson ve Rutherford (1990), anti sosyal davranış sorunlarının birçok çocukta ve gençte önemli ve kalıcı durumlar oluşturduğuna işaret ediyorlar. Walker, Shinn, O'Neill & Ramsey (1987) yaptıkları çalışmada anti sosyal davranışlar gösteren öğrencilerin diğer öğrencilere kıyasla akranları ile ilişkilerinde sorun yaşadıklarını ve okulda önemli ölçüde başarısız olduklarını saptamışlardır.…”

Fifth grade school adjustment and later arrest rate: A longitudinal study of middle school antisocial boys

“…These groups were labeled, respectively, antisocial (N = 39) and at risk control (N = 41). Detailed descriptions of how these two groups were selected are provided in Walker et al (1987) and Shinn, Ramsey, Walker, Stieber, and O'Neill (1987), and are described briefly below.…”

“…Two criteria were used in combination to select subjects for the Walker et al (1987) study. These were: antisocial construct scores and Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist scores.…”

Multifaceted functional behavior assessment for students with externalizing behavior disorders

“…Additionally, their levels of academic engaged time (i.e., amount of time spent working on or attending to academic assignments) may be significantly lower than those of other students, averaging 60% to 70% of total time in the classroom (Walker, Shinn, O'Neill, & Ramsey, 1987). The co-occurrence of externalizing behavior disorders and academic difficulties has been estimated to be 10% to over 50% (Frick et al, 1991).…”