Poster #55 - Individual and Contextual Factors Predicting Juvenile Engagement in Violent Antisocial Behavior

• In Event: 3-206 - Poster Session 13
  In Poster Session: PS 13 Section - Developmental Psychopathology

Integrative Statement

Although research has made progress in identifying predictors of juveniles’ later engagement in antisocial behavior (Brofenbrenner, 1997; Lui, 2004; Trentacosta et al., 2009; Pardini & Fite, 2010), little research has explored predictors specific to later engagement in violent antisocial behavior (Sitnick et al., 2017). This study evaluated whether individual characteristics (physical aggression, impulsivity, callous unemotional traits) and contextual factors (peer deviance, neighborhood dangerousness) in early adolescence predicted violent and non-violent antisocial behavior in late adolescence. Additionally, we tested whether rejecting parenting moderated the association between these predictors and later antisocial behaviors. Participants came from the Pitt Mother and Child Project, a longitudinal study of high-risk boys from the greater Pittsburgh area (Shaw & Gilliam, 2017). Individual and contextual predictors included self-report, parent or teacher-report, and observational data collected between the ages of 10 and 12. Report measures included well-validated scales, such as the CBCL, TRF (Achenbach, 1991), and SRD (Elliot et al., 1985), and were composites of multiple reporter ratings, and multiple years, when possible. Court records between ages 13 and 18 were used to create a categorical outcome variable based on whether boys had received at least one violent petition, at least one non-violent petition, or no petition, and were based on charges rather than adjudications to account for possible ethnic and racial bias. Analyses were conducted using logistic regression in SPSS. In terms of direct effects, higher levels of physical aggression in early adolescence predicted greater likelihood of juvenile engagement in both non-violent (OR = 38.33, 95% CI [3.93, 373.56], p < .01) and violent petitions (OR = 28.27, 95% CI [2.30, 347.18], p < .01) in late adolescence, compared to no criminal history. Likewise, higher levels of peer deviance in early adolescence predicted greater likelihood of juvenile engagement in both non-violent (OR = 1.20, 95% CI [1.06, 1.36], p < .01) and violent petitions (OR = 1.20, 95% CI [1.05, 1.36], p < .01), compared to no criminal history. Higher levels of impulsivity predicted a greater likelihood of late-adolescent engagement in violent compared to non-violent crimes (OR = .28, 95% CI [.08, .95], p < .05). Additionally, neighborhood dangerousness predicted juvenile engagement in non-violent petitions compared to no criminal history (OR = 1.04, 95% CI [1.00, 1.09], p < .05). Regarding interaction analyses, high levels of rejecting parenting significantly moderated the association between impulsivity and nonviolent versus non-offending status (OR = .38, 95% CI [.16, .95], p < .05; Figure 1), the association between CU traits and nonviolent versus non-offending status (OR = .37, 95% CI [.15, .94], p < .05), and the association between peer deviance and violent versus non-offending status (OR = .19, 95% CI [.70, .97], p < .05; Figure 2). Overall, results support a relationship between individual characteristics and contextual factors in early adolescence and later engagement in antisocial behavior. Since these factors could be receptive to intervention, policy should aim to incorporate prevention programs into public sectors in at-risk areas.

Authors

• Abbey Lauren Friedman, University of Pittsburgh
  Presenting Author

• Lindsay Taraban, University of Pittsburgh
  Non-Presenting Author

• Daniel S. Shaw, University of Pittsburgh
  Non-Presenting Author