Early Language Impairment and Young Adult Delinquent and Aggressive Behavior

Clinic and forensic studies have reported high rates of language impairments in conduct disordered and incarcerated youth. In community samples followed to early adolescence, speech and language impairments have been linked to attention deficits and internalizing problems, rather than conduct problems, delinquency, or aggression. This study examines the young adult antisocial outcomes of speech or language impaired children. Language impaired boys had higher levels of parent-rated delinquency symptoms by age 19 than boys without language impairment, controlled for verbal IQ and for demographic and family variables. Language impaired boys did not differ from controls in self-reported delinquency or aggression symptoms on a standardized checklist; however, language impaired boys reported higher rates of arrests and convictions than controls. Language impairment was not related to aggression or delinquency in girls. We examine alternate models of the interrelationships between language, academics, and behavior, at ages 5, 12, and 19.     

Longitudinal Analysis of Particulate Air Pollutants and Adolescent Delinquent Behavior in Southern California

Animal experiments and cross-sectional human studies have linked particulate matter (PM) with increased behavioral problems. We conducted a longitudinal study to examine whether the trajectories of delinquent behavior are affected by PM_2.5 (PM with aerodynamic diameter?≤?2.5 μm) exposures before and during adolescence. We used the parent-reported Child Behavior Checklist at age 9–18 with repeated measures every ~2–3 years (up to 4 behavioral assessments) on 682 children from the Risk Factors for Antisocial Behavior Study conducted in a multi-ethnic cohort of twins born in 1990–1995. Based on prospectively-collected residential addresses and a spatiotemporal model of ambient air concentrations in Southern California, monthly PM_2.5 estimates were aggregated to represent long-term (1-, 2-, 3-year average) exposures preceding baseline and cumulative average exposure until the last assessment. Multilevel mixed-effects models were used to examine the association between PM_2.5 exposure and individual trajectories of delinquent behavior, adjusting for within-family/within-individual correlations and potential confounders. We also examined whether psychosocial factors modified this association. The results sμggest that PM_2.5 exposure at baseline and cumulative exposure during follow-up was significantly associated (p?<?0.05) with increased delinquent behavior. The estimated effect sizes (per interquartile increase of PM_2.5 by 3.12–5.18 μg/m³) were equivalent to the difference in delinquency scores between adolescents who are 3.5–4 years apart in age. The adverse effect was stronger in families with unfavorable parent-to-child relationships, increased parental stress or maternal depressive symptoms. Overall, these findings sμggest long-term PM_2.5 exposure may increase delinquent behavior of urban-dwelling adolescents, with the resulting neurotoxic effect aggravated by psychosocial adversities.     

Effect of Child Gender on the Bidirectional Relationships between Parental Monitoring and Delinquent Behavior

This study examined the effect of child gender on the bidirectional relationships between perceived parental monitoring and self-reported delinquent behaviors from childhood to adolescence, using data from the Korean Youth Panel Study. In this longitudinal study, different age cohorts for childhood (ages 9–12; N?=?2283) and adolescence (ages 13–16; N?=?2722) were analyzed. The findings from cross-lagged path analyses showed that the parent–child relationships differed for boys and girls. For girls, delinquency had a stronger effect on parental monitoring in childhood, whereas parental monitoring had a stronger effect on delinquency in the childhood–adolescence transition and adolescence. Boy’s delinquency similarly had a stronger effect in childhood. Parental monitoring, however, did not affect boy’s delinquency at any age. This study highlights the importance of considering gender when developing interventions to support families with delinquent children and adolescents.     

Delinquent youths and family

This study investigates the relationship of several demographic variables, family structure (number of siblings in house, family intactness, sibling rank, number of persons in household) and family environment (family relationship, personal growth, and family system maintenance). The family environment variables are dimensions of the Family Environment Scale (Moos, 1974). The subjects reported a fairly good reliability on the scale (Cronbach's alpha = .753). The data collection for the present study represents 198 youths: 68 official chronic delinquents and 130 official nondelinquents. A discriminant analysis was used to determine which of the demographic and family environment variables had the most predictive power in discriminating between the groups. The general analysis indicated that ten of the variables explained 49% of the variance between the chronic delinquent and nondelinquent groups. Personal growth was found to have the most discriminating power, followed by number of siblings, race, sex, and system maintenance.     

Smoking Behavior Development and Modification: An Empirical Application of Three Social Psychological Theories1

Three major social psychological theories were applied to data obtained in interviews with a random sample of 50 exsmokers and 50 smokers. The objective was to test the utility of these theories with respect to smoking behavior development and change. The results provided strong support for the hypotheses derived from reference group theory and partial support for the cognitive dissonance and psychoanalytic hypotheses.     

Behavior Modification in Marital Conflict: A Case Report

The ability of marital partners to directly change an unhappy marriage to a happy one may be a function of each individual's conscious awareness of the topography, frequency, and other parameters of his own behavior, as well as his awareness of the consequences these behaviors have on his spouse. This paper reports an attempt to combine the use of relevant behavioral awareness and a token economy to rehabilitate a marriage in crisis. An initial two-month follow-up indicated, both from the data and the couples' subjective report, that the relationship was now much more reinforcing and both partners were satisfied with the marriage.     

Ethical Implications of Behavior Modification: Historical and Current Issues

The Psychological Record - A number of social factors are combining to raise the profile of ethical issues for behavior analysts and behavior-modification professionals, as for all psychologists....     

Anxiety and Mood States in Delinquent Adolescents

Summary: Studied the relationship between state-trait anxiety and mood states in delinquents by giving the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC) (Spielberger, 1973) and the Profile of Mood States (POMS) (McNair, Loft, & Droppleman, 1971) to 41 behavior problem adolescents who were residents of a facility for youthful offenders. Results indicated that males and females did not differ significantly. The A-State portion of the STAIC was correlated significantly with the Vigor-Activity and Anger-Hostility portions of the POMS as well as the Total Mood Disturbance index. On the other hand, the A-Trait portion of the STAIC was correlated significantly with the Depression-Dejection, the Tension-Anxiety, and the Fatigue-Inertia portions of the POMS as well as the Total Mood Disturbance index. Findings were discussed in terms of theft relationship to previous research and in terms of the differences in conception of affective states presented by Spielberger (1973) and McNair et al. (1971).     

Violence Exposure and PTSD Among Delinquent Girls

Summary

This study focuses on the unique trauma histories of incarcerated girls. In particular, this study draws upon data obtained from 100 incarcerated adolescent girls, highlighting areas of similarity to and difference from incarcerated boys, including: overall levels of traumatic violence exposure, exposure to unique forms of traumatic violence, psychological symptomatology, and hypothesized trajectories of involvement in serious delinquent activity. In addition, a case example is presented to illustrate our hypotheses about the trajectories of adolescent girls' involvement in serious delinquent behavior, as well as the prominent role of early trauma histories and repeat victimization in these trajectories.     

Interpersonal Skills Training to Reduce Aggressive and Delinquent Behavior: Limited Evidence and the Need for an Evidence-Based System of Care

The prevention of aggressive and delinquent behavior during childhood and adolescence is one of the highest priorities for public health and crime prevention. The most common approach to preventing or treating these conduct problems has been to provide interpersonal skills training to the affected youth. This paper reviews all randomized controlled trials evaluating interpersonal skills training programs as an intervention to reduce conduct problems. Research shows that such programs have weak empirical support as isolated interventions. An alternative evidence-based system of care is described. Such a system would include behavioral parent training and behavioral classroom-based interventions for young children at risk of developing problems, as well as multisystemic family therapy or multidimensional treatment foster care for chronic delinquents. Within such a network of services, interpersonal skills training could play an important supportive role. Such a system holds the greatest promise for reducing the prevalence of aggressive and delinquent behavior in communities.