Self-reported Antisocial Behavior Research Articles

Health Service Utilization in Adolescents Following a First Arrest: The Role of Antisocial Behavior, Callous-Unemotional Traits, and Juvenile Justice System Processing.

Previous research indicates that youth exhibiting antisocial behavior are at risk for utilizing a disproportionate amount of health services compared to youth without these problems. The present study investigates whether being processed by the juvenile justice system and showing callous-unemotional (CU) traits independently predict health service utilization (medical and mental health service use and out-of-home placement) over and above the severity of antisocial behavior across adolescence. A total of 766 participants who had been arrested for the first time in adolescence provided data at ten appointments over a period of seven years. Results showed that self-reported antisocial behavior at the time of arrest predicted increased use of most health service use types over the next seven years (i.e. medicine prescriptions, tests for sexually transmitted infections, mental health service appointments, and out-of-home placements). All except prescription medication use remained significant when controlling for justice system processing and CU traits. Further, justice system processing added significantly to the prediction of medical service appointments. Whereas CU traits were associated with mental health service appointments and out-of-home placements, these did not remain significant when controlling for severity of antisocial behavior. These findings are consistent with prior research documenting the health care costs of antisocial behavior.

Self-reported antisocial behaviour of 10-year-old boys in Zhuhai (China) versus Pittsburgh (USA)

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to compare self-reported antisocial (SRA) behaviour of 10-year-old boys in China (in Zhuhai) and the USA (in Pittsburgh).Design/methodology/approachIn Pittsburgh, 868 boys were given a SRA behaviour questionnaire in 1987–1988. In Zhuhai, 1,154 boys were given the same questionnaire in 2017.FindingsThe prevalence of 23 acts in the two countries was significantly correlated (r = 0.69), showing that the acts that were admitted by most boys in one country also tended to be admitted by most boys in the other country. Also, the mean prevalence in the two countries was very similar, at about 13%. However, several acts (e.g. stealing) were more prevalent in Zhuhai, while violent acts were more prevalent in Pittsburgh. The frequencies of the acts in the two countries were also significantly correlated (r = 0.51), although frequency was usually greater in Pittsburgh.Research limitations/implicationsWhile most theories and research in criminology and psychology are based on Western industrialised countries, it is important to carry out more cross-cultural comparisons of antisocial behaviour in other countries. These results show encouraging generalizability and replicability, despite differences in time and place.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study presents the first comparison of age-matched Chinese and American children on the prevalence and frequency of specific antisocial acts.

Spanish Validation of the Self-Reported Antisocial Behavior Questionnaire and Comparison of Adolescent Antisocial Behaviors Between Pittsburgh and Cordoba

Antisocial behavior is a worldwide problem that negatively affects individuals and societies, and it is influenced by contextual factors. The study of how antisocial behavior changes through time frames and among countries provides information of the extent to which the environment influences this problem, which could help to develop more accurate prevention programs. Cross-national studies require instruments with good psychometric properties, validated in different cultures and languages. Thus, the aim of this study was to validate the Spanish version of the Self-Reported Antisocial Behavior Questionnaire, and to analyze whether there are differences in reported antisocial behavior between pre-adolescents in Pittsburgh, North America (1988) and Cordoba, Spain (2017). The sample included 1,483 Cordoba students of whom 203 were comparable in age to 868 Pittsburgh boys. Results showed that the Spanish version of the Self-Reported Antisocial Behavior Questionnaire had excellent psychometric properties, and that there were some similarities and differences in antisocial behaviors reported by the samples from Pittsburgh and Cordoba. Results are discussed according to time frames and environmental influences of the samples. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

Sex dimorphic cortical brain volumes associated with antisocial behavior in young adults.

Although sex differences in antisocial behavior are well-documented, the extent to which neuroanatomical differences are related to sex differences in antisocial behavior is unclear. The inconsistent results from different clinical populations exhibiting antisocial behaviors are mainly due to the heterogeneity in etiologies, comorbidity inequality, and small sample size, especially in females. The study aimed to find sexual dimorphic brain regions associated with individual differences in antisocial behavior while avoiding the issues of heterogeneity and sample size. We collected structural neuroimaging data from 281 college students (131 males, 150 females) and analyzed the data using voxel-based morphometry. The gray matter volume in three brain regions correlates with self-reported antisocial behavior in males and females differently: the posterior superior temporal sulcus, middle temporal gyrus, and precuneus. The findings have controlled for the total cortical gray matter volume, age, IQ, and socioeconomic status. Additionally, we found a common neural substrate of antisocial behavior in both males and females, extending from the anterior temporal lobe to the insula. This is the first neuroanatomical evidence from a large non-clinical sample of young adults. The study suggests that differences in males and females in reading social cues, understanding intentions and emotions, and responding to conflicts may contribute to the modulation of brain morphometry concerning antisocial behavior.

Educational Prevention of Antisocial and Delinquent Behavior in Brazilian Adolescents.

Antisocial and criminal behaviors are frequently associated with illegal behaviors committed by adolescents between 12 and 19. This study aims to examine antisocial and criminal behavior in adolescence and establish guidelines that contribute to educational prevention. Specifically, we sought to evaluate self-reports of antisocial and criminal behaviors in adolescents, verifying differences in the variables sex and age. A total of 396 adolescents participated in the study. They were aged 12 to 19 years old (M = 15.8, SD = 1.6), were of both sexes (63.9% girls or women and 36.1% boys or men) and were attending primary and secondary schools in Brazil. The Antisocial-Criminal Behaviors Questionnaire (A-D) was administered online. Descriptive and comparative analyses by sex and age were performed. Boys presented more transgressive behaviors than girls, not overall, but in specific behaviors included in the two scales of the questionnaire used. In terms of age, self-reported antisocial and criminal behaviors increased with student age. From a systemic perspective, educational proposals are made to identify and neutralize risk factors and improve protective factors for adolescents.

The Effects of a Truancy Reduction Program on Antisocial Behavior: Age, Race, and Sex Differences

Past research from the Ability School Engagement Program (ASEP), a third-party policing intervention designed to increase school attendance, finds the program is able to reduce self-reported antisocial behavior up to two years following program participation. This research further explores the generalizability of these effects and assesses whether the effects of ASEP on self-reported antisocial behavior varied by different age, race, and sex characteristics of young people in the study at one- and two-years post randomization. Data for this study come from 102 young people who participated in the ASEP, which was designed to increase school attendance and reduce antisocial behavior through a conference with police, schools, young people, and their parents in Brisbane, Australia. There were no statistically significant interactions between the condition and predictors on self-reported antisocial behavior at the one-year mark. However, young people in the experimental group who were in secondary school during the intervention had significantly lower odds of self-reported antisocial behavior relative to secondary students in the control group at two years post-randomization. Results suggest that ASEP may be more effective at reducing self-reported antisocial behavior among adolescents in secondary school.

Polygenic risk scores for antisocial behavior in relation to amygdala morphology across an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder case-control sample with and without disruptive behavior

Antisocial and aggressive behaviors show considerable heritability and are central to disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs), but are also frequently observed in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). While the amygdala is implicated as a key neural structure, it remains unclear whether common genetic variants underlie this brain-behavior association. We hypothesized that polygenic (risk) scores for antisocial and aggressive behaviors (ASB-PRS) would be related to amygdala morphology. Using the Broad Antisocial Behavior Consortium genome-wide association study (GWAS; mostly population based cohorts), we calculated ASB-PRS in the NeuroIMAGE I ADHD case-control sample with varying levels of DBD symptomatology (n=679 from 379 families, aged 7 – 29). We first investigated associations of several ASB-PRS p value thresholds with the presence of DBD symptoms and self-reported antisocial behavior (ASB) to determine the threshold for further analyses. This PRS was then related to amygdala volume and shape using regression and vertex-wise analyses. Our results showed associations of ASB-PRS with the presence of DBD symptoms, self-reported ASB, and left basolateral amygdala shape, independent of ADHD symptom severity and ADHD-PRS, with a relative outward displacement of the vertices. No associations of ASB-PRS, DBD symptoms or self-reported ASB with amygdala volume were found. Our results indicate that genetic risk for antisocial and aggressive behaviors is related to amygdala shape alterations, and point to genetic sharing across different DBD and ASB and aggression-related phenotypes as a spectrum of genetically related quantitative traits. Additionally, our findings support the utility of vertex-based shape analyses in genetic studies of ASB, aggression, and DBDs.

Exploring the predictive power of impulsivity measures in predicting self-reported and informant-reported inpatient disruptive behaviors

ABSTRACT Impulsivity is strongly associated with aggression and antisocial conduct. Although self-report measures are a time-efficient means to assess impulsivity, they may be susceptible to socially desirable responding, particularly in forensic psychiatry. The current study aimed to investigate the predictive validity of three measures of impulsivity in predicting self- and informant-reported antisocial behavior: the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, the Self-Centered Impulsivity scale of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory-Revised and the general Disinhibition factor of the Externalizing Spectrum Inventory. Next, the mediating role of a measure of self-deception, the Virtuous Responding scale, was examined in these associations. Participants (N = 94) were inpatients from addiction care and forensic psychiatry. Two regression analyses were conducted using self-reported antisocial behavior in the first, and informant-reported antisocial behavior in the second analysis as outcome variables. In addition, a mediated regression analysis was conducted, using the Virtuous Responding scale as a mediator. The impulsivity measures showed a substantially lower predictive validity when informant-reported behavior was predicted. The Virtuous Responding scale appeared to be unreliable in the current sample and showed no mediation effect. The results showed insufficient support for the predictive validity of the three measures of impulsivity. Alternative time-efficient assessments for impulsivity are needed, such as informant-based measures.

Understanding Adolescent Girls in Custody Using the Multidimensional Inventory of Development, Sex, and Aggression (MIDSA).

Although research on populations of incarcerated female adolescents has increased, there remains a dearth of qualitative research that speaks to the life narratives of these girls. Existing research suggests this population is deeply troubled, which necessitates a better understanding of their lived experience to more thoroughly inform prevention and rehabilitation efforts. This article is one of the first to assess a wide range of traits and characteristics of girls in custody. The Multidimensional Inventory of Development, Sex, and Aggression (MIDSA) was administered to 30 girls in custody at a juvenile detention facility in California. Individual narrative reports were generated, and their aggregate results were analyzed. Results are first presented at an aggregate level and details from some individual cases are used to provide an especially rich description of particular circumstances, behaviors, and motivations of these girls. Preliminary findings illustrate the chaotic family backgrounds of the sample and the prolonged and varied trauma they have experienced. Results also suggest that the high rates of self-reported antisocial behavior in which these girls engaged involved a considerable amount of physical aggression and interpersonal violence. Trauma-informed approaches in the juvenile justice space are discussed.

The incremental usefulness of teacher-rated psychopathic traits in 5- to 7-year olds in predicting teacher-, parent-, and child self-reported antisocial behavior at a six-year follow-up

The incremental usefulness of the multidimensional psychopathy construct in predicting future antisocial behavior has rarely been tested in general population samples of children. To fill this significant knowledge gap, data were used from 1729 5- to 7-year old Swedish children who enrolled in a large Swedish prospective longitudinal study. Psychopathic traits and other risk factors at age 5–7 were assessed through teacher-, and parent-reports. Six years later, multiple informants (teacher, parents, and children) completed measures of antisocial behavior, including symptoms of conduct disorder, aggression, and bullying. Results show that the teacher-rated psychopathy total score (i.e., the composite of interpersonal, callous-unemotional, and behavioral-lifestyle traits) was predictive of severe and stable antisocial behavior, above and beyond levels of other risk factors, including conduct problems. Interaction effects suggested that the psychopathy total score at age 5–7 was predictive of future stable conduct disorder symptoms 6 years later, even in the absence of conduct problems at age 5–7. In conclusion, current findings indicate that the multidimensional child psychopathy construct identifies 5–7-year olds at risk for negative maladjustment in adolescence. Results support existing attempts of the developmental extension of psychopathy to young children.

Antisocial cognition as a mediator of the peer influence effect and peer selection effect in antisocial adolescents

The peer influence and peer selection effects are two widely replicated findings in the criminological literature that refer to the predictive relationship between antisocial behaviour and delinquent peer association as well as between delinquent peer association and antisocial behaviour, respectively. Research suggests that antisocial cognition might constitute a causal mechanism underlying part of these effects. This study investigated the extent that the peer influence and peer selection effects are mediated by one key aspect of antisocial cognition—beliefs and attitudes supporting peer conflict. This study examined whether beliefs and attitudes supporting peer conflict mediated the relationship between delinquent peer association and volume of self-reported antisocial behaviour and vice-versa, across a 1-year follow-up period, in 683 (433 male, 250 female) British adolescents (mean age: 13.8 years) with a history of serious antisocial behaviour. Participants completed measures at baseline and 6, 12 and 18 months thereafter. Findings indicated that beliefs and attitudes supporting peer conflict partially mediated the peer influence and peer selection effects, explaining a substantial proportion of the total effect in the peer influence (i.e., 26%) and peer selection (i.e., 17%) models. These results suggest that beliefs and attitudes supporting peer conflict could explain part of the mechanism underlying the peer influence and peer selection effects in adolescents with a history of serious antisocial behaviour.

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.

Is the Development of Family Functioning Dependent on Trajectories of Antisocial Behavior? A TRAILS Study

Where previous studies have found consistent links between family factors and antisocial behavior, it is important to examine this relationship from a developmental perspective and account for heterogeneous antisocial development. In the present study, our goal was twofold: (1) identify and examine trajectories of self-reported antisocial behavior, and (2) compare the intercepts and slopes of family functioning of adolescents with different trajectories of antisocial behavior. We used a large national representative sample of 2230 Dutch boys and girls who we followed from approximately 10 to 22 years. We applied Latent class growth modeling to identify antisocial trajectories for boys and girls separately, across which the intercepts and slopes of family functioning were compared. We found four antisocial trajectories for boys and three antisocial trajectories for girls, which mostly corresponded with the trajectories found in previous literature. Further, we found that family functioning did not differ as a function of membership to a particular trajectory of antisocial behavior, neither on baseline measures nor on changes of family functioning across adolescence. Within this specific sample of adolescents, these results suggest that family functioning, as perceived by parents, remain stable regardless of antisocial behavior. Future research, in addition to using general family functioning measures, should also examine day-to-day family interactions, preferably also accounting for the perspective of the adolescent.

Juvenile delinquency risk factors: Individual, social, opportunity or all of these together?

There is extensive literature on risk factors leading to criminal behavior. However, most of these studies have been conducted in European and Anglo-Saxon countries, and there are few analogous studies in Latin America. Our main aim was to analyze whether the criminal risk level estimated from the interaction between antisocial motivation and criminal opportunities helps to differentiate between adolescents with and without delinquent behavior (as proposed in the Triple Risk for Delinquency Model). We measured both official and self-reported antisocial behavior in a sample of 211 young people in Argentina. The results show a significant association between delinquency and personal, social and opportunity risk factors. Also, it was possible to differentiate between adolescents with and without official and self-reported antisocial behavior with high sensitivity and specificity, based on the estimation of criminal risk levels. We discuss the relevance and implications of these findings within the particular context of this study.

Omega-3 supplementation in young offenders: a randomized, stratified, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial

To examine whether omega-3 supplementation reduces antisocial and aggressive behavior in offenders. In this randomized, double-blind trial, 145 young offenders were randomized into three groups: omega-3 (N = 48), placebo (N = 46), and treatment-as-usual controls (N = 51). Measures of antisocial, aggressive, and psychopathic behavior were collected at 0 months (baseline), 3 months (end of treatment), 6 months (3 months post-treatment), and 12 months (9 months post-treatment). Omega-3 supplementation resulted in both short-term and long-term declines in self-reported antisocial and aggressive behavior. Findings were stronger for a reactive-impulsive form of aggression than for proactive aggression and psychopathy. Sensitivity analyses documented long-term reductions at 6 and 12 months in the omega-3 group for officer reports. Results suggest that omega-3 supplementation can help reduce antisocial and aggressive behavior over and above regular treatment programs in young offender institutions, particularly for reactive, impulsive aggression.

Dimensions of Psychopathic Traits in a Community Sample

Abstract. There are valid measures of psychopathic traits in youth, such as the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory (YPI). However, it is unclear how another self-report measure, which is based on a different conceptualization of psychopathy relates to the YPI in youth and to antisocial behavior. We therefore, compared the construct validity of two measures: the personality-based Psychopathic Personality Inventory-Revised (PPI-R) and the YPI – based on adult antisocial personality traits. First, both measures showed sufficient model fit and some overlap in their variance, particularly YPI impulsive-irresponsible and grandiose-manipulative factors with PPI-R self-centered impulsivity, as well as YPI callous-unemotional with PPI-R coldheartedness. We found that although overall delinquency was correlated with PPI-R and YPI subscales, only the self-centered impulsivity factor of the PPI-R and only the Impulsive-Irresponsibility domain of the YPI were statistically predictive of self-reported antisocial behavior. Thus, the PPI-R and the YPI both show moderate construct validity and criterion validity for use among young community adults.

Improving characterization of psychopathy within the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), alternative model for personality disorders: Creation and validation of Personality Inventory for DSM-5 Triarchic scales.

The latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) bridges a significant gap in psychiatric nosology by providing trait-based characterizations of psychopathy along with antisocial personality disorder within the Section III alternative model for personality disorders (AMPD). However, the representation of psychopathy in the AMPD has met with some criticisms (Crego & Widiger, 2014; Few, Lynam, Maples, MacKillop, & Miller, 2015). The current study was undertaken to establish an improved means for characterizing psychopathy in DSM-5 Section III terms, by creating scale measures of triarchic psychopathy dimensions using items from the best-established assessment instrument for the AMPD, the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5). Using data from a sample of community adults (N = 210), we employed a construct rating and psychometric refinement approach to develop item-based PID-5 Triarchic scales for measuring psychopathy dimensions of boldness, meanness, and disinhibition. The validity of the PID-5 Triarchic scales was then evaluated in relation to criteria including other scale measures of the triarchic constructs and psychopathy, self-reported antisocial behavior and substance use, empathy, internalizing and other clinical problems, and personality within the development sample and a separate independent sample of adults (N = 240) recruited to have elevated psychopathic traits. Results of this work provide a foundation for improved characterization of psychopathy in terms of the AMPD trait system and provide a mechanism for future research oriented toward clarifying the developmental interface between childhood conduct disorder and psychopathy, as well as identifying neurobiological correlates of dimensions of psychopathy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Parental attachment and truant rationalizations of antisocial behavior: findings from a randomized controlled trial

ABSTRACT Theorists propose that young people are likely to offend when they rationalize antisocial behavior and that pro-social attachments to parents might modify this relationship. This research first assesses whether or not a truancy reduction program is able to modify the effects of a young person’s rationalizations on antisocial behavior and then explores if parental attachments impact this relationship. Data are from the Ability School Engagement Program (ASEP), a third-party policing intervention designed to reduce truancy and crime by increasing parental knowledge of education laws in a sample of 102 high truanting youth from Brisbane, Australia. The conferences also incoorporated restorative and reintegrative shaming practices, which have previously been theorized to impact rationalizing behaviors. We find that post-intervention measures of rationalizations are positively related to self-reported antisocial behavior for those in the experimental condition. The impact of rationalizations on antisocial behavior varied at different levels of parental attachment only for the experimental group, as the effect of rationalizations on antisocial behavior became stronger at higher levels of parental attachments. We conclude that those in the experiment with strong parental attachments may have used more rationalizations to engage in antisocial behavior to overcome some of the pro-social effects of the ASEP intervention.

Harmonizing Legal Socialization to Reduce Antisocial Behavior: Results from a Randomized Field Trial of Truanting Young People

Legal socialization conceptualizes two processes for attaining compliance as either consensus-based or coercive-based. However, in real life, an adolescent’s exposure to police and school authorities is likely to incorporate a blend of both the consensual and coercive systems of compliance. In this article, we examine how harmonizing the way that police and school authorities engage with young people using a consensus-based legal socialization approach might influence a young person’s self-reported antisocial behavior. Drawing data from a randomized field trial of the Ability School Engagement Program in Brisbane, Australia, we find that a young person’s participation in the consensus-based program impacts self-reported antisocial behavior over time indirectly through changes in perceptions of police legitimacy, but not through changes in perceptions of school legitimacy. We conclude that young people are more likely to obey the law when they are exposed to harmonized legal socialization experiences, but it is a young person’s view of police that matters more for compliance with the law than how they view school authorities.

Pilot Evaluation of a Conservation Corps Program for Young Adults.

Education and employment programs may be effective at reducing problem behaviors among at-risk young adults. This pilot study evaluated whether participants in a Conservation Corps program (N = 100) showed changes in antisocial behavior, gang membership, and substance use during the program. Participants were young adults between 18 and 24 years who were predominantly male (60%) and ethnic minority (62% Latino; 31% African American). Over the course of the 22-week program, participants showed significant decreases in self-reported antisocial behavior and gang involvement, and approximately 28% earned a high school diploma. However, only 61% completed the program, and subgroup analyses suggested that decreased gang membership and antisocial behaviors were mostly driven by program completers. These limited pilot results suggest that the Conservation Corps offers vulnerable young adults opportunities for education advancement and a possible pathway to criminal desistance. However, education and employment programs should make retention a priority.