Youth Antisocial Behavior Research Articles

An Ecological Neurodevelopmental Model of the Development of Youth Antisocial Behavior and Callous-Unemotional Traits

Research has begun to identify genetic, environmental, and neurocognitive risk factors related to the development of youth antisocial behavior (aggression, rule-breaking). We review environmental and genetic risk factors for the development of antisocial behavior and related outcomes (e.g., callous-unemotional traits), as well as provide an overview of neural correlates of antisocial behavior. Next, we connect these findings to work in developmental neuroscience linking exposure to adversity to brain structure and function. Then we integrate across these literatures to provide a multilevel model of the development of antisocial behavior that includes transactions between genetic and environmental risk that shape brain development. Throughout, we focus on how pathways may differ for youth with different subtypes of antisocial behavior (e.g., early-onset) with a particular focus on callous-unemotional traits. We end by identifying challenges and future directions for the field.

The Social Failure Model: Do Classroom Norms Play a Role in the Development of Antisocial Behavior and Depressive Symptoms?

This study examined the moderating role of descriptive and status norms in the stability of youth's antisocial behavior, and the link between initial antisocial behavior and the development of depressive symptoms over the course of one academic year, while controlling for initial depression levels. A total of 1081 students (51.06% girls; grades 4 through 6) in schools in low to average socio-economic status neighborhoods completed self-reports and a peer nomination inventory in the fall (T1) and spring (T2) of one year. Descriptive norms were operationalized as the classroom- and sex-specific mean level of antisocial behavior. Status norms were operationalized as the classroom- and sex-specific correlation between antisocial behavior and social preference. Descriptive norms moderated the link between T1 and T2 antisocial behavior, such that youth exhibiting high levels of antisocial behavior showed a greater increase in antisocial behavior in classrooms where descriptive norms strongly favored such behavior (i.e., + 1 SD) than in classrooms with neutral or weak descriptive norms (i.e., - 1 SD). Status norms moderated the association between T1 antisocial behavior and T2 depressive symptoms, such that youth with high levels of antisocial behavior had higher depressive symptoms in classrooms where status norms disfavored antisocial behavior than in classrooms with neutral or favorable norms. No moderating effects of sex or grade were observed. These results suggest that both descriptive norms and status norms play important, albeit distinct, roles in exacerbating youth's depressive symptoms and antisocial behavior, but they may also mitigate these same outcomes in favorable contexts.

The etiology of the association between parental nurturance and youth antisocial behavior: Evidence from a twin differences study

AbstractBackgroundLower parental nurturance is consistently associated with higher levels of youth antisocial behavior (ASB), but the etiology of this association remains unclear. To fill this gap, we employed a twin differences approach to illuminate the environmental and genetic origins of the association between parental nurturance and children's ASB.MethodsParticipants were 2060 twins (49% female) ages 6–10 from the Michigan State University Twin Registry. Parental nurturance and youth ASB were assessed using multiple measures (e.g., questionnaires, interviews) and informant reports (e.g., twins, parents, teachers). Co‐twin difference‐score correlations were analyzed separately by zygosity using specification curve analysis, an exhaustive modeling approach that examined associations across all possible specifications of the nurturance and ASB data.ResultsParental nurturance demonstrated clear, negatively signed associations with youth ASB at the individual level. However, these associations generally did not persist within twin pairs. We observed no significant twin difference correlations within monozygotic (MZ) pairs and only a handful of significant twin difference correlations among dizygotic (DZ) pairs, in which the DZ co‐twin who experienced more nurturance exhibited less ASB. Post‐hoc analyses in these data revealed that these associations differed markedly from those with harsh parenting that suggested environmental influences on youth ASB.ConclusionsThese results strongly argue against a causal influence of low parental nurturance on youth ASB, and instead suggest that genetic influences and shared environmental confounds underlie their association. Further, findings strongly suggest that different parenting behaviors are associated with child ASB via different etiologic mechanisms.

Individual and Interpersonal Factors Associated with Youth Antisocial Behavior among a Low Income, Immigrant, and Ethnic Urban Youth Sample

This study explores the association between youth antisocial behavior outcomes and predictors including individual factors (youth attitudes) and interpersonal factors (friends and parents) in a low income, immigrant, and ethnic community in Pomona, California USA. Social cognitive theory is used in a cross sectional design to perform correlation and multiple regression analysis on survey data from 2,693 high school students. While factors related to youths and their best friends were associated with youth antisocial behavior outcomes, parental factors did not show any association with youth antisocial behavior outcomes in both correlation and regression analysis. These results conflict with dominant trends in the literature and underscore the need for at risk communities such as Pomona to develop their own community data so that intervention programs can respond to their unique circumstances. The following intervention strategies are recommended for youth program designers in Pomona: prioritize individual youth and friends in intervention activities; develop intervention strategies to grow parental influence on youth antisocial behavior such as integrating engagement tools which immigrant, minority, and low income parents could use to counter antisocial risk factors and enhance protective factors. Future research should investigate the factors that drive the influence of best friends on youth antisocial behavior particularly how these trump parental influence in Pomona and other disadvantaged environments. The research findings should shape the intervention strategies recommended above.

Polygenic risk and hostile environments: Links to stable and dynamic antisocial behaviors across adolescence.

Adverse environments are linked to elevated youth antisocial behavior. However, this relation is thought to depend, in part, on genetic susceptibility. The present study investigated whether polygenic risk for antisociality moderates relations between hostile environments and stable as well as dynamic antisocial behaviors across adolescence. We derived two antisocial-linked polygenic risk scores (PRS) (N = 721) based on previous genome-wide association studies. Forms of antisocial behavior (nonaggressive conduct problems, physical aggression, social aggression) and environmental hostility (harsh parenting and school violence) were assessed at age 13, 15, and 17 years. Relations to individual differences stable across adolescence (latent stability) vs. time-specific states (timepoint residual variance) of antisocial behavior were assessed via structural equation models. Higher antisocial PRS, harsh parenting, and school violence were linked to stable elevations in antisocial behaviors across adolescence. We identified a consistent polygenic-environment interaction suggestive of differential susceptibility in late adolescence. At age 17, harsher parenting was linked to higher social aggression in those with higher antisocial PRS, and lower social aggression in those with lower antisocial PRS. This suggests that genetics and environmental hostility relate to stable youth antisocial behaviors, and that genetic susceptibility moderates home environment-antisocial associations specifically in late adolescence.

Protective Factors for Antisocial Behavior in Youth: What is the Meta-Analytic Evidence?

Although both risk and protective factors are important components of etiological theories for antisocial behavior, far less is known about protective factors and their impact. This review summarized primary studies on the impact of different protective factors for antisocial behavior in youth. In total, 305 studies reporting on 1850 potentially protective factors were included. Each extracted factor was first classified into one of 77 mutually exclusive groups of similar factors (referred to as domains), after which a three-level meta-analysis was conducted to determine the protective effect of each domain. A significant and negative effect was found for 50 domains, which were therefore designated as being truly protective. The largest impact (r < −0.20) was found for higher levels of conservativeness, self-transcendence, life satisfaction, involvement in romantic relationships, the capacity to reflect or mentalize, peer relationships quality, prosocial peers, prosocial values, agreeableness, school self-esteem, parental control, general resilience, and social skills. Analyses revealed that the impact of some of the 77 domains was moderated by the youth’s age (five domains) and gender (four domains) as well as the severity of antisocial behavior they exhibit (two domains), indicating that the impact of these domains differs across subgroups of antisocial youth. Given the substantial number of factors that were identified as being protective for antisocial behavior in youth, this study discusses implications for future directions, assessment strategies, and (preventive) interventions.

Antisocial behavior is associated with reduced frontoparietal network efficiency in youth.

Youth antisocial behavior (AB) is associated with deficits in socioemotional processing, reward and threat processing and executive functioning. These deficits are thought to emerge from differences in neural structure, functioning and connectivity, particularly within the default, salience and frontoparietal networks. However, the relationship between AB and the organization of these networks remains unclear. To address this gap, the current study applied unweighted, undirected graph analyses to resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data in a cohort of 161 adolescents (95 female) enriched for exposure to poverty, a risk factor for AB. As prior work indicates that callous-unemotional (CU) traits may moderate the neurocognitive profile of youth AB, we examined CU traits as a moderator. Using multi-informant latent factors, AB was found to be associated with less efficient frontoparietal network topology, a network associated with executive functioning. However, this effect was limited to youth at low or mean levels of CU traits, indicating that these neural differences were specific to those high on AB but not CU traits. Neither AB, CU traits nor their interaction was significantly related to default or salience network topologies. Results suggest that AB, specifically, may be linked with shifts in the architecture of the frontoparietal network.

The development of youth antisocial behavior across time and context: A systematic review and integration of person-centered and variable-centered research.

Trajectories of youth antisocial behavior (ASB) are characterized by continuity and change. Although numerous longitudinal studies have examined ASB, findings from person-centered and variable-centered research have not yet been integrated. The present paper integrates findings across statistical methods for a more comprehensive understanding of the development of ASB. Neighborhood disadvantage is considered as a core moderator. The study protocol was registered in the PROSPERO database of systematic reviews (registration number CRD42021255820). The PsycINFO and PubMed databases were examined (September 2022) to identify longitudinal studies of youth aggression and/or rule-breaking. Results from person-centered and variable-centered studies were integrated via narrative synthesis, and a systematic quality assessment was conducted. Of 8227 studies identified, 136 met inclusion criteria. Our review indicated that rule-breaking trajectories were largely distinguished by differences in rate of change (i.e., slope), whereas aggression trajectories differed more by baseline level (i.e., intercept), particularly in childhood. For adolescents in disadvantaged neighborhoods, however, aggression trajectories differed by both intercept and slope. The respective importance of the intercept and slope differed across dimensions of ASB, developmental stage, and neighborhood residence. Neighborhood disadvantage was associated with trajectories of aggression, consistent with developmental theories emphasizing the role of person-environment interactions.

Профилактика асоциального поведения молодежи: социально-педагогическая деятельность

Importance. The problems of youth antisocial behavior pedagogical prevention in the educational environment are described. Development issue actualization of a comprehensive, harmonious personality designed to resist destructive ideology is worked out. One of the important issues is the formation of the “right” social environment for young people. The purpose of the process is to bring up an educated individual with a positive civic position who is ready to become an active participant in society. Research Methods. The methodological basis of the research is philosophical-anthropological, axiological and personality-oriented approaches that determine the spiritual and moral education’s concept’s content guidelines. Within the framework of these approaches, scientific literature theoretical analysis, synthesis and generalization methods, as well as students’ personalized observation are used. Results and Discussion. The role of socio-pedagogical activity in antisocial behavior prevention context in the youth environment is substantiated. The characteristic of “social criteria” in determining the children and adolescents’ behavior is given. Antisocial behavior demonstration forms in the youth environment are clarified. Conclusion. The issue actualization shows the need to create a more advanced model of social and educational work on the antisocial behavior prevention among young people. Prevention should begin from early childhood. True upbringing, a positive parents’ example, caring for the child’s material and emotional satisfaction are the key to successful prevention of antisocial behavior. Not only educational institutions, but also federal and regional authorities should direct their efforts to achieve success in antisocial behavior prevention.

Influence of Popular Culture on Consumer Behaviour of Youth in Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka recently, youth antisocial behavior has become a serious national and worldwide concern: Due to adolescent antisocial behavior over the previous 20 years, the rule of law and the law are challenged: Quantitative and qualitative data are collected. Snowball theory was used to collect qualitative data. In addition to this, the behavior of randomly selected individuals is studied through participant observation. Data was collected by conducting consensus interviews with individuals. According to police reports, ganging is a major issue. The previously mentioned organizational structure is well-known in urban areas, although it is less prevalent in rural areas. However, throughout the past two decades, the antisocial behavior of the youth has had a direct or indirect impact on Sri Lanka's popular culture. Additionally, juvenile gangs use a variety of tactics to trick and mislead victims of crime. Their actions are presented to the audience as vibrant and appealing visual images.

PREVENTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR IN YOUTH

This article is about the problems that can lead to a significant increase in antisocial behavior of Ukrainian youth. In particular, the prevention of its development and the prevention of its emergence. This article will focus on rethinking the role of antisocial behavior of youth in society.This article aims to analyze and characterize the problems, features, and trends of the study of antisocial behavior in youth, as well as to specify the search for a systematic approach to develop effective ways to improve the quality of preventative measures and social educational services.The goal of the system is to provide preventive measures for the development of antisocial behavior in youth and to solve the life problems of individuals and social groups. Also to create appropriate conditions under which these groups will be able to independently solve their problems, restore lost skills and functions, and overcome or minimize them.The focus is on developing a strategy for preventing antisocial behavior in the youth of Ukraine, the USA, and the rest of Europe to meet the informational needs of youth in Ukrainian society.It was determined that the prevention of antisocial behavior consists of the systematic supply of counseling services, which are carried out during the period of adaptation of the individual to the new conditions of the social environment.The perspective issue is the study of the development process of youth's antisocial behavior during the conditions of war on the territory of Ukraine. It presupposes the process of rethinking and finding the essential characteristics of the process of youth socialization, which requires a high level of social responsibility and national consciousness from each person.

Antisocial Behavior and Attitudes Towards Antisocial Behavior after a Five-Year Municipal Youth and Family Master Plan in Pomona, California, USA

ABSTRACT Within an integrated conceptual framework made up of social cognitive theory, theory of fundamental causes, and the risk and protective factor approach, we assess reported antisocial behavior and favorable attitudes toward antisocial behavior among youths and parents in a high-school sample after the implementation of a Youth and Family Master Plan in Pomona, California, USA from 2005 to 2009. We perform z tests for same students (8th grade 2005 and 12th grade 2009), same grade (8th,10th, and 12th grade), inter-grade, same year, and overall, 2005 to 2009 comparisons for Pomona, Los Angeles, and US national samples. It was hypothesized that after five years of implementation, Pomona Youth and Family Master Plan (PYFMP) activities will reduce antisocial behavior and favorable parental and youth attitudes toward antisocial behavior. Within a p-value of 05, z-test results show a decline in youth antisocial behavior among youths in the Pomona sample. Patterns in youth antisocial behavior were not consistent with youth favorable attitudes toward antisocial behavior but were consistent with perceived parental favorable attitudes toward antisocial behavior. Though youth favorable attitudes toward antisocial behavior were generally rising within the Pomona data, when compared to the rates of change in Los Angeles and US, Pomona rates of change were lower. Intra and inter jurisdictional patterns above could be attributed to the community multicomponent interventions of the PYFMP. They also align with assumptions and explanations offered in the integrated conceptual framework, which suggest a mediating role for environmental factors.

The Genetic, Environmental, and Cultural Forces Influencing Youth Antisocial Behavior Are Tightly Intertwined.

The aggressive and rule-breaking behaviors that constitute youth antisocial behavior (ASB) are shaped by intertwined genetic, developmental, familial, spatial, temporal, cultural, interpersonal, and contextual influences operating across multiple levels of analysis. Genetic influences on ASB, for example, manifest in different ways during different developmental periods, and do so in part as a function of exposure to harsh parenting, delinquent peers, and disadvantaged neighborhoods. There is also clear evidence documenting societal effects, time-period effects, sex-assigned-at-birth effects, and cohort effects, all of which point to prominent (and possibly interconnected) cultural influences on ASB. In short, ASB is shaped by individuals' current and prior environmental experiences, genetic risks, and the time and place in which they live. This review seeks to illuminate already documented instances of interplay among the multilevel etiologic forces impinging on youth ASB, with the goal of facilitating additional research.

Youth in Group Home Care: An Investigation of Negative Peer Influence and Youth Antisocial Behavior

The risk of delinquent to antisocial behaviors among youth (teenagers) seem to be more prevalent in group homes than other foster homes. The aim of this study was to examine the association between negative peer influence and youth antisocial behaviors in group homes. Participants were 875 youth aged 10 to 17 at baseline (2010–2011). Logistic regression modeled antisocial behavior and tested the hypothesis that negative peer influence will predict youth antisocial behaviors cross sectionally at baseline and longitudinally after 3-year follow up, and negative peer influence will be moderated by group home size. The Ontario Looking after Children database was used for analysis. Findings indicate that negative peer influence predicts youths’ risk of antisocial behavior (at baseline). The risk increased almost five folds in 3 years. At baseline ( OR = 1.65) and ( OR = 4.90) after 3 years. Generally, findings suggest negative peer influence underscores youth antisocial behaviors in group homes.

Continuity and Change in the Genetic and Environmental Etiology of Youth Antisocial Behavior.

Trajectories of youth antisocial behavior (ASB) are characterized by both continuity and change. Twin studies have further indicated that genetic factors underlie continuity, while environmental exposures unique to each child in a given family underlie change. However, most behavioral genetic studies have examined continuity and change during relatively brief windows of development (e.g., during childhood but not into adolescence). It is unclear whether these findings would persist when ASB trajectories are examined across multiple stages of early development (i.e., from early childhood into emerging adulthood). Our study sought to fill this gap by examining participants assessed up to five times between the ages of 3 and 22years using an accelerated longitudinal design in the Michigan State University Twin Registry (MSUTR). We specifically examined the etiologies of stability and change via growth curve modeling and a series of univariate and bivariate twin analyses. While participants exhibited moderate-to-high rank-order stability, mean levels of ASB decreased linearly with age. Genetic and nonshared environmental influences that were present in early childhood also contributed to both stability and change across development, while shared environmental contributions were negligible. In addition, genetic and nonshared environmental influences that were not yet present at the initial assessment contributed to change over time. Although ASB tended to decrease in frequency with age, participants who engaged in high levels of ASB during childhood generally continued to do so throughout development. Moreover, the genetic and nonshared environmental contributions to ASB early in development also shaped the magnitude of the decrease with age.

Conduct disorder symptomatology is associated with an altered functional connectome in a large national youth sample.

Conduct disorder (CD), characterized by youth antisocial behavior, is associated with a variety of neurocognitive impairments. However, questions remain regarding the neural underpinnings of these impairments. To investigate novel neural mechanisms that may support these neurocognitive abnormalities, the present study applied a graph analysis to resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data collected from a national sample of 4,781 youth, ages 9-10, who participated in the baseline session of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive DevelopmentSM Study (ABCD Study®). Analyses were then conducted to examine the relationships among levels of CD symptomatology, metrics of global topology, node-level metrics for subcortical structures, and performance on neurocognitive assessments. Youth higher on CD displayed higher global clustering (β = .039, 95% CIcorrected [.0027 .0771]), but lower Degreesubcortical (β = -.052, 95% CIcorrected [-.0916 -.0152]). Youth higher on CD had worse performance on a general neurocognitive assessment (β = -.104, 95% CI [-.1328 -.0763]) and an emotion recognition memory assessment (β = -.061, 95% CI [-.0919 -.0290]). Finally, global clustering mediated the relationship between CD and general neurocognitive functioning (indirect β = -.002, 95% CI [-.0044 -.0002]), and Degreesubcortical mediated the relationship between CD and emotion recognition memory performance (indirect β = -.002, 95% CI [-.0046 -.0005]). CD appears associated with neuro-topological abnormalities and these abnormalities may represent neural mechanisms supporting CD-related neurocognitive disruptions.

Ecological contexts of youth antisocial behaviors: A longitudinal perspective.

The current study examined and compared the relative influence of ecological factors on youth antisocial behaviors (i.e., aggression and rule-breaking) using longitudinal datawhile assessing the moderating effect of youth attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis. The study used the fifth and sixth wave of data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (n = 2595; mean age = 9.26 at wave five) for the analysis. Multivariate models show that youth ADHD, physically and psychologically abusive parenting, peer victimization, and community cohesion were important predictors of youth antisocial behaviors. Furthermore, youth ADHD diagnosis moderated some associations between the ecological factors and antisocial behaviors, suggesting that youth with and without ADHD may respond to some ecological contexts differently regarding the concerningbehaviors. The findings imply that interventions targeting youth antisocial behaviors should involve collaboration across systems and coordination across programs to tackle a multilayered ecological context, especially when youth with ADHD are involved.

Clarifying the Link Between Amygdala Functioning During Emotion Processing and Antisocial Behaviors Versus Callous-Unemotional Traits Within a Population-Based Community Sample.

Prominent theories suggest that disruptions in amygdala reactivity and connectivity when processing emotional cues are key to the etiology of youth antisocial behavior (AB) and that these associations may be dependent on co-occurring levels of callous-unemotional (CU) traits. We examined the associations among AB, CU traits, and amygdala reactivity and functional connectivity while viewing emotional faces (fearful, angry, sad, happy) in 165 adolescents (46% male; 73.3% African American) from a representative, predominantly low-income community sample. AB was associated with increased amygdala activation in response to all emotions and was associated with greater amygdala reactivity to emotion only at low levels of CU traits. AB and CU traits were also associated with distinct patterns of amygdala connectivity. These findings demonstrate that AB-related deficits in amygdala functioning may extend across all emotions and highlight the need for further research on amygdala connectivity during emotion processing in relation to AB and CU traits within community populations.

Policing partnerships to address youth antisocial behavior: How parental risk‐taking shapes child outcomes

Research SummaryPartnerships are an integral part of the working life of police, yet not a lot is known about how such partnerships work to deter and control crime problems. This article explores the impact of a Third Party Policing Partnership involving police and schools coming together to engage with parents to address their child's truancy and antisocial behavior. We report on results from an embedded behavioral economics experiment within the Ability School Engagement Program (ASEP) Trial. ASEP involved 102 young people who were chronically truant from school and randomly allocated to the experimental partnership program (ASEP) or the business‐as‐usual condition. We find that riskier choices made by parents increase the incidence of child self‐reported antisocial behavior (SRASB). Our results show parents in the ASEP condition had greater gains in knowledge of the education laws relative to control. There was a backfire effect for parents in the control group: Their gains in knowledge of the laws led their children to have higher levels of SRASB.Policy ImplicationsPolicing partnerships are an important part of the future of policing. Police partnerships with schools are a promising approach for engaging parents and young people in a manner that clearly and fairly explains to parents their legal obligations for their child's school attendance. While we do not find that ASEP modified parental risk‐taking behavior, we do find that the ASEP intervention created an insulating effect from the negative outcomes of the business‐as‐usual condition, in which school principals delivered ad hoc bad news to parents about their child's antisocial behavior in a way that was not procedurally just. Policing partnerships are likely to deter antisocial behavior when police work with third party partners who have some type of legislative responsibility. This legislative medium creates opportunities for the police and third parties to better engage and communicate legal responsibilities and the consequences of noncompliance.

Elaborating on the construct validity of the antisocial process screening device in Chinese children and adolescents: Across-informants and across-samples

The Antisocial Process Screening Device (APSD) is a widely used measure to assess psychopathic traits and antisocial behavior in youth, although controversy exists with respect to its factor structure. The aim of the current study was to further examine the factor structure and construct validity of the APSD using data from multiple informants (i.e., parent-report and self-report) and varied samples: community adolescents (N = 1073), male prisoners (N = 613), and schoolchildren (N = 473). Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the existing factor structures (i.e., two-factor, three-factor, and four-factor models) did not yield adequate fit in any of the three samples. Exploratory structural equation modeling approach did not yield a consistent solution among samples, either. The APSD total scores showed acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) and mean item correlations (MIC), while the subscale scores showed low to moderate consistency and MICs. The convergent and criteria validity of both the APSD total and factor scores were supported, exhibiting the expected correlations with other measures of psychopathy and aggressive behavior (r ranging from −.01 to .62 for adolescent sample; from −.16 to .69 for prisoner sample; and from −.05 to .70 for children sample). These findings suggest that the APSD total score is a reasonable measure of psychopathy in the Chinese youth population, although the use of APSD factor scores should be avoided in future studies with Chinese youth since no structural model provided adequate fit with acceptable reliability.