Abstract
ObjectiveChildhood conduct problems are associated with poor functioning in early adulthood. We tested a series of hypotheses to understand the mechanisms underlying this association.MethodWe used data from the Environmental Risk (E-Risk) Longitudinal Twin Study, a birth cohort of 2,232 twins born in England and Wales in 1994 and 1995, followed up to age 18 years with 93% retention. Severe conduct problems in childhood were assessed at ages 5, 7, and 10 years using parent and teacher reports. Poor functioning at age 18 years, including cautions and convictions, daily cigarette smoking, heavy drinking, and psychosocial difficulties, was measured through interviews with participants and official crime record searches.ResultsParticipants 18 years old with versus without a childhood history of severe conduct problems had greater rates of each poor functional outcome, and they were more likely to experience multiple poor outcomes. This association was partly accounted for by concurrent psychopathology in early adulthood, as well as by early familial risk factors, both genetic and environmental. Childhood conduct problems, however, continued to predict poor outcomes at age 18 years after accounting for these explanations.ConclusionChildren with severe conduct problems display poor functioning at age 18 years because of concurrent problems in early adulthood and familial risk factors originating in childhood. However, conduct problems also exert a lasting effect on young people’s lives independent of these factors, pointing to early conduct problems as a target for early interventions aimed at preventing poor functional outcomes.
Highlights
Previous studies have shown that children with conduct problems are at risk for experiencing poor functional outcomes in adulthood
We extended this research in 2 ways: first, we examined the effect of childhood conduct problems on a cumulative index of poor functioning in emerging adulthood, reflecting outcomes across areas as broad as educational attainment, crime, health, and social relationships
Our findings show that 18-year-olds with a childhood history of severe conduct problems were more likely to experience difficulties across multiple spheres of adult life, more than a decade after they had first displayed conduct problems
Summary
Childhood conduct problems are associated with poor functioning in early adulthood. We tested a series of hypotheses to understand the mechanisms underlying this association. Results: Participants 18 years old with versus without a childhood history of severe conduct problems had greater rates of each poor functional outcome, and they were more likely to experience multiple poor outcomes This association was partly accounted for by concurrent psychopathology in early adulthood, as well as by early familial risk factors, both genetic and environmental. Conclusion: Children with severe conduct problems display poor functioning at age 18 years because of concurrent problems in early adulthood and familial risk factors originating in childhood. To the extent that conduct problems in childhood predict outcomes above and beyond these factors, early, individual-level treatment of children’s problem behavior may improve future poor functioning We tested these potential explanations in a longitudinal prospective cohort of twin children who have been followed up to age 18 years. In addition to testing whether childhood conduct problems predicted each outcome separately, we tested the effect on the accumulation of poor functional outcomes, that is, a cumulative index of poor functioning, because recent evidence has documented that individuals who function poorly in one area often experience difficulties in other areas as well.[22]
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