Abstract
Dual systems theories of adolescent risk-taking propose that the socioemotional and self-regulation systems develop at different rates, resulting in a peak in sensation-seeking in adolescence at a time when self-regulation abilities are not yet fully mature. This “developmental imbalance” between bottom-up drives for reward and top-down control is proposed to create a period of vulnerability for high-risk behaviors such as delinquency, substance use, unprotected sex, and reckless driving. In this study, data from the Swiss longitudinal normative z-proso study (n = 1522, n = 784 male; aged 11, 13, 15, 17, and 20) were used to test whether the presence of a developmental imbalance between sensation-seeking and self-regulation is associated with trajectories of engagement in delinquency across early adolescence to adulthood. Using a latent class growth analysis of sensation-seeking, self-regulation, and delinquency, it was found that a model with 3 classes was optimal in the whole sample and male sub-sample, including one class characterized by a developmental imbalance and corresponding adolescent peak in delinquency. In females, there was no evidence for a class that could be described according to the trajectories hypothesized in dual systems theory. This study’s results support the claim that a developmental imbalance may drive an adolescent increase in delinquency. However, this applies only to a small subgroup of individuals, particularly males.
Highlights
There are varying definitions of “risky” behavior; developmental psychological theories of adolescent risktaking typically define “risky” behavior, as any behavior that carries some possibility of a negative outcome, including health or social consequences (Romer and Khurana 2020)
Dominant among adolescent risk-taking models are dual systems models which propose that a developmental imbalance between socioemotional system and cognitive control system traits underlies a generalized increase in risk-taking during adolescence (Steinberg et al 2008)
The models are plotted on an unstandardized scale and can be interpreted in the units of the original scores
Summary
There are varying definitions of “risky” behavior; developmental psychological theories of adolescent risktaking typically define “risky” behavior, as any behavior that carries some possibility of a negative outcome, including health or social consequences (Romer and Khurana 2020). Delinquency is considered a prototypical example of such behavior, involving potential costs (e.g., criminal justice involvement, sanctions by schools) and rewards (e.g., thrills and social approval) (Burt and Simons 2013) It shows a peak in adolescence, making it a prime candidate behavior to be explained by models of adolescent risk-taking (Barbot and Hunter 2012). Dominant among adolescent risk-taking models are dual systems models which propose that a developmental imbalance between socioemotional system and cognitive control system traits underlies a generalized increase in risk-taking during adolescence (Steinberg et al 2008) These models have undergone considerable empirical evaluation in relation to a range of risk-taking behaviors (Shulman et al 2016). Longitudinal data spanning ages 11–20 years was used to examine the claims of dual systems theory in relation to delinquency
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