Early Adolescent Risk Behavior Outcomes of Childhood Externalizing Behavioral Trajectories

• Published in: The Journal of early adolescence 2011-04, Vol.31 (2), p.234-257
• Main Authors: Thompson, Richard, Jiyoung Kim Tabone, Litrownik, Alan J., Briggs, Ernestine C., Hussey, Jon M., English, Diana J., Dubowitz, Howard
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescents; At Risk Persons; At risk youth; Behavior; Behavior Problems; Bullying; Child Abuse; Child Behavior; Child Behavior Checklist; Child development; Children; Children & youth; Correlation; Delinquency; demography; Drinking; Drug use; Early Adolescents; Educational Attainment; Family Income; Family Structure; Gender Differences; Longitudinal Studies; Parents; Predictor Variables; risk taking; Severity (of Disability); Smoking; Social research; Socioeconomic Status; Substance Abuse; substance use; Teenagers; Violence; Young Children
• ISSN: 0272-4316; 1552-5449
• DOI: 10.1177/0272431609361203

Little is known about the early childhood indicators of adolescent risk. The link between trajectories of externalizing behavioral problems and early adolescent risk behavior was examined in a longitudinal sample of 875 child participants in the LONGSCAN studies. Five trajectory groups of children defined by externalizing behavior problems were identified: Low, Low-Medium, Moderate, Increasing-High, and High. After controlling for demographics and maltreatment, violent/delinquent behavior was significantly predicted by membership in the Moderate and Increasing-High problem behavior groups. Substance use in early adolescence was significantly predicted by membership in the High behavior problem group. These findings suggest that there is a great deal of continuity between patterns of externalizing behavior in childhood and risk-taking in early adolescence. Understanding the course of externalizing behavior in childhood can help identify children at particular risk for more serious behavioral problems in early adolescence.