Modeling Growth in Boys' Aggressive Behavior Across Elementary School: Links to Later Criminal Involvement, Conduct Disorder, and Antisocial Personality Disorder.

Abstract

The present study used general growth mixture modeling to identify pathways of antisocial behavior development within an epidemiological sample of urban, primarily African American boys. Teacher-rated aggression, measured longitudinally from 1st to 7th grade, was used to define growth trajectories. Three high-risk trajectories (chronic high, moderate, and increasing aggression) and one low-risk trajectory (stable low aggression) were found. Boys with chronic high and increasing trajectories were at increased risk for conduct disorder, juvenile and adult arrest, and antisocial personality disorder. Concentration problems were highest among boys with a chronic high trajectory and also differentiated boys with increasing aggression from boys with stable low aggression. Peer rejection was highest among boys with chronic high aggression. Interventions with boys with distinct patterns of aggression are discussed.Antisocial behavior is among the most common and serious mental health problems presently faced in the United States (Kessler et al., 1994). Conduct disorder is one of the most prevalent disorders of childhood (3%-10%; Lewinsohn, Hops, Roberts, Seeley, & Andrews, 1993) and is associated with an array of other problems, including school failure, substance abuse, and adult psychiatric disorder (

Risk Factors for Community Violence Exposure in Adolescence

“…Coefficient alpha for the aggressive/disruptive behavior subscale was .89 in sixth grade. In terms of predictive validity, in grades 1-5, respectively, the aggressive/disruptive behavior subscale significantly predicted adjudication for a violent crime in adolescence and a diagnosis of Antisocial Personality Disorder at age 19-20 in the first generation JHU PIRC trial and follow-up (Petras, Chilcoat, Leaf, Ialongo, & Kellam, 2004;Schaeffer, Petras, Ialongo, Poduska, & Kellam, 2003).…”

A comparison of girls' and boys' aggressive-disruptive behavior trajectories across elementary school: Prediction to young adult antisocial outcomes.

“…Other researchers have argued that an early-starter pathway can be detected for girls if a broader definition of antisocial behaviors is used, one that includes oppositional (e.g., arguing) and disruptive (e.g., tantruming) behavior in addition to physical aggression, and that to broaden in this way would result in more effective screening of at-risk girls (Bierman et al, 2004). Assuming that an early-starter pathway does exist for girls, another question pertains to whether there is meaningful heterogeneity within this pathway (i.e., more than one early-starter pattern), as is becoming increasingly evident in studies of boys (e.g., Schaeffer et al, 2003).…”

“…There has been considerable interest in understanding divergent developmental pathways leading to antisocial outcomes in adolescence and young adulthood, in both the theoretical (e.g., Moffitt, 1993;Patterson, DeBaryshe, & Ramsey, 1989) and empirical (e.g., Nagin & Tremblay, 1999;Schaeffer, Petras, Ialongo, Poduska, & Kellam, 2003) literatures. From this work, it is clear that a pattern of chronic aggressive behavior in childhood is a significant risk factor for antisocial behavior in later life, at least for boys.…”

Trajectories of Peer-Nominated Aggression: Risk Status, Predictors and Outcomes

“…The first regards the informants used. Studies on developmental trajectories of aggression that started in childhood have generally used teacher, parent, or self reports (Broidy et al, 2003;Fergusson & Horwood, 2002;Nagin & Tremblay, 1999;Schaeffer, Petras, Ialongo, Poduska, & Kellam, 2003). Trajectories based on peer nominations of aggression have, to our knowledge, not yet been studied.…”