Daniel J. Flannery

Behavioral outcomes and evidence of psychopathology among very low birth weight infants at age 20 years.

Objective. Information on the mental health of very low birth weight (VLBW; <1500 g) children in young adulthood is sparse. We thus sought to examine gender-specific behavioral outcomes and evidence of psychopathology in a cohort of VLBW young adults at 20 years of age. Methods. We compared a cohort of 241 survivors among VLBW infants who were born between 1977 and 1979 (mean birth weight: 1180 g; mean gestational age at birth: 29.7 weeks), 116 of whom were men and 125 of whom were women, with 233 control subjects from the same population in Cleveland who had normal birth weights (108 men and 124 women). Young adult behavior was assessed at 20 years of age with the Achenbach Young Adult Self-Report and the Young Adult Behavior Checklist for parents. In addition, the young adults and parents completed the ADHD Rating Scale for Adults. Gender-specific outcomes were adjusted for sociodemographic status. Results. VLBW men reported having significantly fewer delinquent behaviors than normal birth weight (NBW) control subjects, but there were no differences on the Internalizing, Externalizing, or Total Problem Behavior scales. Parents of VLBW men reported significantly more thought problems for their sons than did parents of control subjects. VLBW women reported significantly more withdrawn behaviors and fewer delinquent behavior problems than control subjects. Their rates of internalizing behaviors (which includes anxious/depressed and withdrawn behaviors) above the borderline clinical cutoff were 30% versus 16% (odds ratio: 2.2; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.2-4.1). Parents of VLBW women reported significantly higher scores for their daughters on the anxious/depressed, withdrawn, and attention problem subscales compared with control parents. The odds ratios for parent-reported rates above the borderline-clinical cutoff among women for the anxious/depressed subscale was 4.4 (95% CI: 1.4-13.5), for thought problems was 3.7 (95% CI: 1.2-11.6), and for attention problems was 2.4 (95% CI: 1.0-5.5). There were no differences in the young adult self-report of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Parents of VLBW men reported higher mean scores on the attention subtype of ADHD but not higher rates of ADHD. Conclusion. The increase in psychopathology among VLBW survivors in young adulthood indicates a need for anticipatory guidance and early intervention that might help to prevent or ameliorate potential psychopathology.

No More Than Skin Deep: Ethnic and Racial Similarity in Developmental Process

Many studies adduce evidence of ethnic or racial dissimilarities in developmental outcomes (e.g., delinguency and achievement). Many researchers fail to distinguish between group average levels and developmental processes (correlations). Evidence is reviewed that developmental processes are nearly identical for U.S. Black, Hispanic, White, and Asian ethnic and racial groups. Using diverse and representative data sources, covariance matrices were computed for these ethnic groups and then compared by using a LISREL goodness-of-fit test. Not only were these matrices nearly identical but they also were no less alike than covariance matrices computed from random halves within 1 ethnic or racial group. This article documents the importance of accepting ethnic and racial similarity of developmental processes. Thus, group average level differences may result from different levels of developmental antecedents working through common developmental pathways.

The Cambridge Handbook of Violent Behavior and Aggression

conduct disorder, aggression and hyperactivity, represents a major factors lead to antisocial and violent behavior more strongly, and sometimes only, T. Vazsonyi, ed. , & I. D. Waldman (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of violent behavior. The authors are grateful to Michael Lamb, Rolf Loeber, John Archer, and Aaron Sell for their insightful comments on earlier drafts of this chapter, and to members. While the granulation of violence and aggression is useful, for the purposes here, violence is Violent video game effects on aggression, empathy, and prosocial behavior in The Cambridge handbook of violent behaviour and aggression.

Violence exposure, psychological trauma, and suicide risk in a community sample of dangerously violent adolescents.

OBJECTIVE To examine violence exposure, violent behaviors, psychological trauma, and suicide risk in a community sample of dangerously violent adolescents by comparison with a matched community sample of nonviolent adolescents. METHOD Anonymous self-report questionnaires were administered in the 1992-1993 school year to students in grades 9 through 12, in six public high schools located in Ohio and Colorado (N = 3,735). From this sample, 484 adolescents (349 males, 135 females) who reported attacking someone with a knife or shooting at someone within the past year (i.e., dangerously violent adolescents) were drawn. Four hundred eighty-four controls were also selected and matched on gender, age in years, ethnicity, area of residence, and family structure. RESULTS Dangerously violent adolescents reported higher levels of exposure to violence and victimization than did matched controls. Dangerously violent females were more likely to score in the clinical range of depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress, anger, and dissociation than were control females and violent males; they also had significantly higher levels of suicide potential. CONCLUSIONS Students who have been known to commit violent acts should be adequately assessed for violence exposure and symptoms of psychological trauma, with special attention given to the suicide potential of violent females.

Ethnic and gender differences in risk for early adolescent substance use

This study examinedinterpersonal andintrapersonal risk for substance use in a sample of Caucasian and Hispanic early adolescents. A total of 1170 sixth and seventh graders, equally divided by gender, participated. Interpersonal risk was assessed by susceptibility to peer pressure, parental monitoring, peer substance use, parent-child involvement, and school adjustment. Intrapersonal risk was measured via self-efficacy, impulsivity, aggression, depression, and academic achievement. As expected, mean level of use did not differ between ethnic groups. Regression analyses indicated susceptibility to peer pressure and peer alcohol use were the best predictors of individual substance use. These findings were consistent across gender and ethnicity. In all groups, interpersonal variables accounted for more variance in predicting risk (49% for Hispanic males) than intrapersonal variables (0% for Hispanic females). Findings are discussed (1) in terms of examining mean levels vs. the underlying pattern predicting substance use, and (2) regarding implications for prevention efforts in early adolescence.

Impact of Pubertal Status, Timing, and Age on Adolescent Sexual Experience and Delinquency

This study examined the influence ofpubertal status, pubertal timing, and chronological age on adolescent heterosexual experience and delinquency. The sample consisted of adolescent males and females primarily 10 through 16 years of age. Hierarchical regression analyses examined the linear and curvilinear effects of chronological age and pubertal status. Statistically significant age and pubertal status terms were then combined in a full model comparing their relative influence. In females, pubertal status predicted delinquency and sexual experience independently of age. In males, the evidence of independent pubertal effects was weaker. Separate analyses of pubertal timing indicated male and female early maturers reported engaging in more sexual activity and delinquent behavior than late maturers. The results are discussed in terms of apsychosocial expectations model that includes pubertal effects in explanations of adolescent behavior.

Early Adolescent Delinquent Behaviors Associations with Family and School Domains

A number of studies have been conducted to examine the relation between ethnicity and delinquent behavior. Whereas some studies have found ethnically unique predictors, other research has demonstrated that the same process variables underlie adokescent delinquent behaviors independent of ethnic group membership. The current investigation examined the correlates of family processes and school variables with delinquent behavior for a sample of 1,021 sixth- and seventh-grade Caucasian and Hispanic early adolescents (mean age = 12.8 years). Findings revealed (a) a great similarity for the relations between individual predictor variables and delinquent behavior between the two ethnic groups, (b) that family processes and school variables as domains of influence had independent effects in predicting early adokscent delinquent behavior for Caucasian and Hispanic youth, and (c) that family processes and school variables accounted for about 40% of the total variance explained in early adolescent delinquent behavior.

Sex Differences In Crime: Do Means and Within-Sex Variation Have Similar Causes?

The mean level of delinquency is generally greater in males than in females. This article investigates whether the determinants of this mean sex difference are the same as those of delinquency variation within-sex. The first analytic approach focused on variables. A variable that explained more variation among individuals in delinquency also had a larger mean difference between males and females. The correlates of delinquency were also similar in males and females. The second analytic approach used individuals as the unit of analysis. In a structural equation model, a single latent trait could explain most of the sex difference in the manifest variables of delinquency, impulsivity, rebelliousness, and deceitfulness. The mean difference in delinquency between males and females may arise because males are more exposed to these common etiologic factors than are females.

The effects of ethnicity and acculturation on early adolescent delinquency

We examined the influence of ethnicity and acculturation status on the relationship between parental monitoring, susceptibility to antisocial peer pressure, and delinquency. The sample consisted primarily of Caucasian (63%) and Mexican-American (24%) early adolescents. Self-report data were collected from 1021 sixth and seventh graders, equally divided by gender (mean age =12.7 years). The Mexican-American adolescents were categorized into one of three acculturation groups: (a) acculturated; (b) unacculturated by choice; and (c) recent immigrants. Acculturated Mexican-American early adolescents reported significantly more delinquent behaviors than the Caucasian, unacculturated by choice, and recent immigrant youth. Recent immigrant early adolescents reported more parental monitoring than the acculturated Mexican-American early adolescents. Level of perceived susceptibility to antisocial peer pressure did not differ between ethnic or acculturation groups. Regression analyses revealed that the relationship between parental monitoring and delinquency was mediated by susceptibility to antisocial peer pressure for all the groups regardless of ethnicity or level of acculturation. Findings emphasize the importance of: (a) examining level of acculturation when sampling ethnically diverse populations; and (b) comparing global mean level differences and specific relationships among independent variables.

Children Prenatally Exposed to Cocaine: Developmental Outcomes and Environmental Risks at Seven Years of Age

ABSTRACT. Data are equivocal regarding the long-term consequences of prenatal exposure to cocaine on school-aged children. We compared 101 children exposed prenatally to cocaine with 130 unexposed children on measures of intelligence, visual motor, and motor abilities at age 7 years. Bivariate analyses revealed that cocaine-exposed children scored significantly lower than comparison children on the abbreviated Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition Verbal and Full Scale IQ scores, the Visual Motor Integration and Motor Coordination standardized scores, and the Bruininks-Oseretsky Fine Motor Composite score. Regression analyses indicated that the biological mothers vocabulary and home environment assessed at the same 7-year visit were stronger predictors of developmental outcome than prenatal drug exposure. Level of cocaine exposure, however, predicted visual motor and motor skills. The results indicate that although prenatal cocaine exposure may confer some degree of developmental disadvantage in the visual motor domain, it frequently occurs in the context of an inadequate rearing environment, which may be a stronger determinant than prenatal cocaine exposure of childrens outcome.