Identifying the Contributions of Maternal Factors and Early Childhood Externalizing Behavior on Adolescent Delinquency

Adam T. Schmidt, Joshua S. Camins, Craig E. Henderson, Maxwell R. Christensen, Melissa S. Magyar, James W. Crosby, Marcus T. Boccaccini

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

We examined whether childhood externalizing group subtypes were uniquely related to maternal depression and victimization and whether these subtypes differentially predicted adolescent delinquency. Data were drawn from the Longitudinal Study on Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN) consortium (N = 1091; 51.3% female, 52.2% African American). Latent class analysis indicated three groups at age 4 (titled “well-adjusted,” “hyperactive/oppositional,” and “aggressive/rule-breaking”). Caregiver victimization and depression significantly predicted group membership such that aggressive/rule-breaking group had higher levels of maternal depression and victimization although the well-adjusted group had higher levels of maternal victimization relative to the hyperactive/oppositional group. Further, membership in higher externalizing groups at age four is associated with greater risk of adolescent delinquency at age 16. These findings underscore the need to address maternal risk factors in the treatment of childhood disruptive behavior and provide evidence of the continuity of disruptive behaviors from early childhood to adolescence.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)544-553
Number of pages10
JournalChild Psychiatry and Human Development
Volume52
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2021

Keywords

  • Adolescence
  • Delinquency
  • Disruptive behavior disorders
  • Externalizing psychopathology
  • Maternal depression
  • Maternal victimization

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