Antisocial Behavior Scale Research Articles

Bone lead levels and delinquent behavior

Objective. —To evaluate the association between body lead burden and social adjustment. Design. —Retrospective cohort study. Setting. —Public school community. Participants. —From a population of 850 boys in the first grade at public schools, 503 were selected on the basis of a risk scale for antisocial behavior. All of the 850 boys who scored in the upper 30th percentile of the distribution on a self-reported antisocial behavior scale were matched with an equal number drawn by lot from the lower 70% of the distribution. From this sample, 301 students accepted the invitation to participate. Exposure Measure. —K x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy of tibia at subjects' age of 12 years. Main Outcome Measures. —Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), teachers' and parents' reports, and subjects' self-report of antisocial behavior and delinquency at 7 and 11 years of age. Results. —Subjects, teachers, and parents were blind to the bone lead measurements. At 7 years of age, borderline associations between teachers' aggression, delinquency, and externalizing scores and lead levels were observed after adjustment for covariates. At 11 years of age, parents reported a significant lead-related association with the following CBCL cluster scores: somatic complaints and delinquent, aggressive, internalizing, and externalizing behavior. Teachers reported significant associations of lead with somatic complaints, anxious/depressed behavior, social problems, attention problems, and delinquent, aggressive, internalizing, and externalizing behavior. High-lead subjects reported higher scores in subjects' self-reports of delinquency at 11 years. High-lead subjects were more likely to obtain worse scores on all items of the CBCL during the 4-year period of observation. High bone lead levels were associated with an increased risk of exceeding the clinical score (T>70) for attention, aggression, and delinquency. Conclusion. —Lead exposure is associated with increased risk for antisocial and delinquent behavior, and the effect follows a developmental course. (JAMA. 1996;275:363-369)

Bone Lead Levels and Delinquent Behavior

To evaluate the association between body lead burden and social adjustment.Retrospective cohort study.Public school community.From a population of 850 boys in the first grade at public schools, 503 were selected on the basis of a risk scale for antisocial behavior. All of the 850 boys who scored in the upper 30th percentile of the distribution on a self-reported antisocial behavior scale were matched with an equal number drawn by lot from the lower 70% of the distribution. From this sample, 301 students accepted the invitation to participate. EXPOSURE MEASURE: K x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy of tibia at subjects' age of 12 years.Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), teachers' and parents' reports, and subjects' self-report of antisocial behavior and delinquency at 7 and 11 years of age.Subjects, teachers, and parents were blind to the bone lead measurements. At 7 years of age, borderline associations between teachers' aggression, delinquency, and externalizing scores and lead levels were observed after adjustment for covariates. At 11 years of age, parents reported a significant lead-related association with the following CBCL cluster scores: somatic complaints and delinquent, aggressive, internalizing, and externalizing behavior. Teachers reported significant associations of lead with somatic complaints, anxious/depressed behavior, social problems, attention problems, and delinquent, aggressive, internalizing, and externalizing behavior. High-lead subjects reported higher scores in subjects' self-reports of delinquency at 11 years. High-lead subjects were more likely to obtain worse scores on all items of the CBCL during the 4-year period of observation. High bone lead levels were associated with an increased risk of exceeding the clinical score (T > 70) for attention, aggression, and delinquency.Lead exposure is associated with increased risk for antisocial and delinquent behavior, and the effect follows a developmental course.

Assessing behavioural problems and assets in children and adolescents

The main purpose of this brief report is to introduce a wide range battery of instruments for the psychological assessment of children and adolescents, which was developed in Spain and coordinated by the last author. The battery includes a General Diagnostic Report (anamnesis and general way of life), two Behaviour Problem Scales (one for school and one for non-school settings), a Hyperactivity Scale, the ‘Battery of Socialization’, the I-6 (Junior) Questionnaire, the EPQ-J, a Questionnaire for the Assessment of Self-Concept, the Antisocial Behaviour Scale, a Locus of Control Scale, an Irrational Beliefs Inventory, an Assertiveness Scale, a Fear Inventory, an Anxiety Scale, a Depression Scale, several Reinforcement Inventories, and a Self-Control Questionnaire. A group of 275 boys and girls (age 11–19) were tested with all self-report instruments. This allowed us to run global factor analyses, as well as factor analyses differentiating the sexes. Eysenck's three dimension structure of personality obtains strong support in such analyses.

CORRELATES OF DRUG ABUSE IN JAMAICAN (WEST INDIES) HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Some research shows that drug use is associated with personality. For example, Lester ( 1986) found that marihuana users were more extraverted and less judgmental than nonusers. To explore correlates of drug abuse among high school smdents, 73 male and 72 female Jamaican (West Indies) high school students aged 16 and 17 yr. (mean age 16.5 yr., SD = 0.5) were given the Carlson Psychology Survey ( Carlson, 1982 ) which has scales to measure general drug use, thought disturbance, self-depreciation, and antisocial tendencies. They also completed the Rockliff ( 1969) Self-rating Questionnaire which measures depression. The students were enrolled in six classes from three high schools . The mean scores (and SDs) of the students on the scales were: d n ~ g use 12.8 (4.0), thought disturbance 29.1 (6.0), antisocial tendencies 32.9 (8.6), self-depreciation 19.0 (4.7) and validity 3.7 (1.3). Drug use was not related to age (Pearson r = 0.01) but was related to sex ( r = 0.17, 9 = 0.02) and the validity scale of the Carlson Survey ( r = 0.24, p = 0.002). Accordingly, partial correlation coefficients were calculated for each sex separately, controlling for validity scores. For both sexes, drug use was positively related to scores on the antisocial behavior scale (partial 1.s of 0.51 and 0.49 for boys and girls, respectively). For the girls, drug use was also associated with thought disturbance and selfdepreciation (partial rs of 0.33 and 0.21, respectively) but not depression (partial r = 0.16). For the boys these three correIations were scatistically nonsignificant (parrial rs of 0.07, 0.16, and 0.16, respectively). For these Jamaican high school students, male and female drug users appeared to be more antisocial, and girls appeared to be more emotionally disturbed.

Impulsiveness and antisocial behaviour in children

An Impulsiveness inventory was completed by 118 boys and 309 girls from London comprehensive schools. Of these, 101 boys and 306 girls also completed the Eysenck Junior Personality Questionnaire and an Antisocial Behaviour Scale. Intercorrelations of the scores suggest that there is a strong link between antisocial behaviour in children and impulsiveness, as well as psychoticism or toughmindedness, and a weaker link with venturesomeness, extraversion and lack of empathy. Neuroticism was only slightly implicated for girls and hardly at all for boys.