Magda Stouthamer-Loeber

Family Factors as Correlates and Predictors of Juvenile Conduct Problems and Delinquency

A meta-analysis was performed of concurrent and longitudinal studies on the relation of family factors to juvenile conduct problems and delinquency. Analyses of longitudinal data show that socialization variables, such as lack of parental supervision, parental rejection, and parent-child involvement, are among the most powerful predictors of juvenile conduct problems and delinquency. Medium-strength predictors include background variables such as parents marital relations and parental criminality. Weaker predictors are lack of parental discipline, parental health, and parental absence. The effect of these factors seems to be about the same for boys and for girls. Analyses of concurrent studies comparing delinquents with nondelinquents, and aggressive children with nonaggressive children, largely parallel these findings. Data from concurrent normal samples, however, show less importance for parental child socialization practices and relatively more importance for the childs rejection of the parent and the parents rejection of the child. A small proportion of families produces a disproportionate number of delinquents. The presence of one child with delinquency, aggression, or covert conduct problems increases the probability that other children in the family will exhibit those behaviors. Deficiencies in parenting skills are associated with the seriousness of the childs delinquency. Treatment studies demonstrate that systematic changes in parenting behaviors can lessen the frequency of a childs conduct problems and that of siblings and, to a lesser extent, reduce involvement in delinquent activities.

Antisocial Behavior and Mental Health Problems : Explanatory Factors in Childhood and Adolescence

Contents: Preface. Introduction: Juvenile Delinquency, Substance Use, Sexual Behavior, and Mental Health Problems. Data-Collection Procedures. Measurement Instruments and Constructs. Prevalence, Frequency, and Onset. Explanatory Factors for Delinquency. Explanatory Factors for Substance Use. Explanatory Factors for Sexual Intercourse. Explanatory Factors for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity and Conduct Problems. Explanatory Factors for Physical Aggression and Covert Behaviors. Explanatory Factors for Depressed Mood and Shy/Withdrawn Behavior. Explanatory Factors for Multiple Risk and Multiple Problem Boys. Summary and Conclusions. Methodological Appendix.

The influence of deviant peers on the development of boys' disruptive and delinquent behavior: A temporal analysis

The concurrent and predictive influence of deviant peers on boys disruptive and delinquent behavior was examined in a community sample of fourth- and seventh-grade boys, who were followed-up over six data waves. Analyses were conducted separately for three different types of behavior problems: authority conflict, covert, and overt disruptive behavior. Consistent with the existing literature, concurrent relations between peers and boys disruptive behavior were expected to be significant. A more informative test, however, was whether exposure to deviant peers resulted in boys subsequent initiation of disruptive behavior. Although peer influences were expected in the predictive analyses, the relations were hypothesized to differ by type of behavior. The potential moderating effects of hyperactivity and poor parenting practices were also examined to test the hypothesis that boys who are already at risk for behavior problems will be more susceptible to deviant peer influence. Results supported the significant concurrent and predictive relation between exposure to deviant peers and boys engagement in disruptive and delinquent behavior. There were no significant moderating effects of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or parenting practices on peer influence.

A sensation seeking scale for children: Further refinement and psychometric development

A revision of the Sensation Seeking Scale for Children (SSSC) was standardized and validated on a community sample of 660 elementary- and middle-school children and 168 clinic-referred male children. Factor analysis of the combined samples yielded three unique factors, entitled Thrill and Adventure Seeking, Drug and Alcohol Attitudes, and Social Disinhibition. Psychometric indices of reliability and validity were acceptable, but test-retest reliability was only moderate. Differences in SSSC scores according to sex, ethnic group, age, and intellectual status were similar to those found previously with the adult Sensation Seeking Scales. Consistent with documented relations between adult antisocial personality and sensation seeking, the SSSC distinguished boys with conduct disorder (CD) from clinic controls, but the SSSC scores of boys with CD did not differ from those of the community sample boys. Discussion includes suggestions as to the continued study of the assessment of sensation seeking in children.

Skill deficits and male adolescent delinquency

The research literature on juvenile delinquency shows that antisocial adolescents are often lacking in academic, interpersonal, and work skills. Past research on antisocial adolescents has focused primarily on the relationship between single skill deficits and official delinquency. The present report extends this body of literature by investigating the relationship between seven measures of skill and official and self-reported delinquency in a nonclinical sample of 70 white male adolescents. Youths classified as delinquent on the basis of prior police contact had a lower multivariate profile on seven measures of academic, interpersonal, and work skills. Five of the seven measures correlated significantly with both the official and self-reported criteria of delinquency. Academic skill deficits may be the strongest covariates of antisocial behavior.

Substance Use and Its Relationship to Conduct Problems and Delinquency in Young Boys.

The paper presents lifetime and six-month prevalence of substance use by 1st, 4th, and 7th graders (N=2573). Smoking and alcohol consumption was surprisingly high even for 1st graders. The use of developmentally more advanced substances, such as marijuana, was associated with the use of substances that typically emerge earlier, such as beer. Significantly more of the multiple substance users in the 1st and 4th grade were already engaged in a variety of conduct problems and delinquent acts than were either single users or nonusers. The findings show that substance use, even at Grades 1 and 4, is an indicator of boys who commit a wide variety of problem behaviors. For the 7th graders, the use of marijuana was especially associated with the commission of more serious delinquent acts. Multiple substance use reported by the 7th graders also signified a higher frequency and volume of use. The results of the study are related to a developmental conceptualization of conduct problems, delinquency and substance use.

Costs of Juvenile Crime in Urban Areas A Longitudinal Perspective

It is important to calculate the monetized social burden of crime, and a longitudinal perspective offers distinct advantages over studies limited to one year. This study assessed the monetary costs to society of self-reported male juvenile offending in urban areas. Previously published estimates of victim costs of a number of violent and property crimes were used to calculate the monetized social burden of criminal activity of a cohort of 503 boys (ages 7–17 years), comprising the youngest sample of the Pittsburgh Youth Study. Conservatively estimated, the cohort caused a substantial burden of harm to society in the form of victimization costs, ranging from a low of

Preliminary development of a sensation seeking scale for children

89 million to a high of

Psychopathy in Adolescence Predicts Official Reports of Offending in Adulthood

110 million. From an early age the cohort was responsible for substantial crime victim losses, with these losses mounting in the teen years. Importantly, it is argued that high crime costs do not themselves suggest a policy solution. Implications for policy and research are explored within this context.

Illegal Acts Committed by Adolescents Under the Influence of Alcohol and Drugs

Abstract A sensation seeking scale designed for use with school-aged children (SSSC) was standardized on an elementary school population. Test-retest reliability was adequate and gender differences were comparable to the adult sensation seeking scale. The SSSC was administered to 176 clinic-referred boys aged 7–12 years. Factor analysis of the scores of the combined school and clinic samples yielded two factors which corresponded to the Boredom Susceptibility (BS) and Thrill and Adventure Seeking (TAS) factors of the adult Sensation Seeking Scales. Boys with diagnoses of conduct disorder (CD), childhood anxiety disorders (ANX), and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were compared to a clinic control group in a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design. Main effects for ADHD and CD were significant for the BS subscale, reflecting higher scores in children with CD and lower scores in children with ADHD. A marginally significant CD × ANX interaction for total SSSC score may indicate a moderating effect of anxiety on sensation seeking in children with CD. These results tentatively suggest that sensation seeking can be validly measured in prepubertal children, but argue for further refinements in the SSSC.