Childhood abuse is a risk factor for the development of externalizing characteristics and disorders, including antisocial personality disorder and psychopathy. However, the precise relationships between particular types of childhood maltreatment and subsequent antisocial and psychopathic traits remain unclear.
Using a large sample of incarcerated adult male criminal offenders (n = 183), the current study confirmed that:
- severity of overall childhood maltreatment was linked to severity of both psychopathy and antisocial personality disorder in adulthood.
- Moreover, this relationship was particularly strong for physical abuse and the antisocial facet of psychopathy.
- Sexual abuse history was uniquely related to juvenile conduct disorder severity, rather than adult psychopathy or antisocial behaviors.
- Additionally, there was a significantly stronger relationship between childhood maltreatment and juvenile conduct disorder than between childhood maltreatment and ASPD or psychopathy.
These findings bolster and clarify the link between childhood maltreatment and antisocial behavior later in life.
PURPOSE:
Recent
decades have witnessed a rise in the number of immigrant children in the United
States (US) and concomitant concerns regarding externalizing behaviors such as
crime, violence, and drug misuse by immigrant adolescents. The objective of the
present study was to systematically compare the prevalence of externalizing
behaviors and migration-related factors among immigrant and US-born adolescents
in the US.
RESULTS:
Compared
to their US-born counterparts, immigrant adolescents-particularly those between
the ages of 15 and 17 years-are significantly less likely to be involved
in externalizing behaviors. In addition, later age of arrival and fewer years
spent in the US were associated with reduced odds of externalizing behavior.
Supplementary analyses indicate that the link between nativity and externalizing
behavior may be primarily driven by differences between US-born and immigrant
youth who self-identify as non-Hispanic black or Hispanic. Immigrant
adolescents are also more likely to report cohesive parental relationships,
positive school engagement, and disapproving views with respect to adolescent
substance use.
CONCLUSIONS:
This
study extends prior research on the "immigrant paradox" to
externalizing behavior among adolescents using a nationally representative data
source. Findings highlight the importance of examining age, age of arrival,
duration, and race/ethnicity in the study of nativity and externalizing.
- 1School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin, 1925 San Jacinto Blvd D3500, Austin, TX, 78712-0358, USA, salaswright@utexas.edu.
