25 Development of Antisocial Behavior in Adolescent Girls

Abstract

This chapter assesses the state of knowledge concerning adolescent girls’ trajectories of antisocial behavior. Specifically, I start by reviewing findings related to differences and similarities in the distribution of antisocial behavior among girls and among boys. Then, I assess evidence from studies of specific developmental trajectories of antisocial behavior in girls and of how these trajectories compare with those in boys. Lastly, I present a gender-sensitive theoretical model of girls’ pathways to antisocial behavior. At this stage, there is robust evidence of a gender gap in antisocial behavior. The exact nature of this gap, the ways that it is manifested, and the ways that it evolves from a developmental perspective all need to be further explored. To do so, it might be more helpful to compare boys’ and girls’ trajectories of antisocial behavior using qualitative measures as well, rather than focusing solely on quantitative measures such as prevalence and number of trajectories. Theoretical models designed to explain girls’ antisocial behavior could also benefit from the inclusion of gender-sensitive constructs.