Patterns and Precursors of Adolescent Antisocial Behaviour: Types, Resiliency and Environmental Influences

• NCJ Number: 204682
• Author(s): Diana Smart; Suzanne Vassallo; Ann Sanson; Nick Richardson; Inez Dussuyer; Bill McKendry; John Toumbourou; Margot Prior; Frank Oberklaid
• Date Published: October 2003
• Length: 72 pages
• Corporate Author: Crime Prevention Victoria; Australian Institute of Family Studies
• Sale Source: Crime Prevention Victoria
• Publication Format: Document (Online)
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: Australia
• Note: Downloaded March 17, 2004; for the first report, see NCJ-204681.

Annotation

This second report on an Australian (Victoria) longitudinal research project on the patterns and precursors of adolescent antisocial behavior addresses precursors of violent and nonviolent adolescent antisocial behavior, resilience against adolescent antisocial behavior, location effects on such behavior, and patterns of antisocial behavior and substance use at 19- to 20-years-old.

Abstract

The study is entitled the Australian Temperament Project, a longitudinal study of a representative community sample of over 2,400 children and families living in urban and rural areas of Victoria. The project is now in its 21st year. The first project report, published in 2002, presented findings on across-time trends in adolescent antisocial behavior and the precursors of persistent and experimental behavior patterns. This second report extends these findings, highlighting the diversity and complexity of paths to adolescent antisocial behavior, with attention to the distinction between violent and nonviolent adolescent antisocial behavior, the paths away from risk to resiliency for a substantial portion of the sample, the influence of the broader social environment, and the declining trend in rates of antisocial behavior as individuals pass from adolescence to adulthood. The research identified distinct developmental pathways and risks for violent and nonviolent adolescent antisocial behavior. A range of personal and environmental factors influenced an individual's progression along particular paths, and various influences diverted at-risk children from problem behaviors. Local-area characteristics were not found to influence adolescent antisocial behavior, but the report notes the study's limitations in investigating this issue. In terms of behavioral trends across time, rates of most types of antisocial behavior continued to decline as the youth entered adulthood, although some antisocial behaviors remained relatively high. Regarding antisocial behavior and substance use among males and females 19- to 20-years-old, substance use was common for both sexes. Similar proportions of males and females had consumed alcohol, smoked cigarettes, and been drunk in a public place. Although almost half of the youth had been involved in some antisocial behavior at 19- to 20-years-old, the overall sample's rate of engagement in most types of antisocial acts was very low, and fewer than one in five individuals had frequently engaged in high levels of antisocial behavior. Substance use, however, increased steadily until late adolescence and remained constant from that time. 13 tables, 39 figures, and 61 references