Relation of Antisocial Behavior Patterns and Changes in Internalizing Symptoms for a Sample of Inner-City Youth: Comorbidity Within a Developmental Framework

• NCJ Number: 223474
• Journal: Journal of Youth and Adolescence Volume: 37 Issue: 7 Dated: August 2008 Pages: 821-829
• Author(s): Ashli J. Sheidow; Martha K. Strachan; Joel A. Minden; David B. Henry; Patrick H. Tolan; Deborah Gorman-Smith
• Date Published: August 2008
• Length: 9 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the link between growth in internalizing symptoms (problematic emotions and emotional disorders) and longitudinal patterns of antisocial behavior for a sample of 283 inner-city males and their caregivers.

Abstract

Findings show a developmental trend of decreasing internalizing problems across the four study years. Adolescents who participated in serious, chronic, and violent patterns of antisocial behavior exhibited greater internalizing problems than those who engaged in stable patterns of less serious or no antisocial behavior. When there was an escalation in the seriousness and frequency of antisocial behavior, there was also an increase in internalizing problems compared with juveniles who had no escalation in internalizing problems. These findings suggest that offenders whose antisocial behavior is escalating may represent a group of at-risk youth who exhibit psychopathology that is distinct from other classes of offending. Treatment programs should address both the antisocial behavior and internalizing symptoms. Participants were 283 male adolescents and their caregivers who were recruited for the Chicago Youth Development Study, a longitudinal investigation of the development of delinquency among a minority sample of male adolescents living in impoverished inner-city neighborhoods. The study used a multilevel, multiwave assessment strategy in evaluating interactions between the individual adolescent, his/her family, his/her peers, his/her community, and social factors. Participants were African-American (66 percent) and Latino (34 percent) boys. The boys and their caregivers were interviewed annually over 4 years, beginning when the boys were in sixth and eighth grades. Instruments measured antisocial behavior patterns and internalizing symptoms (withdrawn, somatic complaints, and anxious/depressed). 2 tables, 1 figure, and 36 references