The goal of this study was to understand better how the structure and social context of adolescent leisure activities relates to antisocial behavior. A representative sample of 703 14-year-olds and their parents were assessed concerning adolescent involvement in community-based leisure activities, peer and adult social relations, and antisocial behavior. Results showed that participation in hig...

Delinquent behavior typically emerges in early adolescence, peaks in mid-adolescence, and decreases in early adulthood (Tremblay et al., 2004). The age crime-curve has been observed across crime categories, countries, and historical periods (Hirschi & Gottfredson, 1983). Further, childhood antisocial behavior strongly predicts later antisocial behavior, yet not all children who display early be...

Criminal justice agencies are increasingly seeking to use evidence-based practices to reduce delinquent and antisocial behaviors among youth in the juvenile justice system. One of the more prominent programs is Multisystemic Therapy (MST), an intensive familyand community-based treatment program for serious, violent, and chronic juvenile offenders 12 to 17 years of age. MST targets specific fac...

Most studies of bullying behavior have been conducted with general populations during childhood and early adolescence. Although incarcerated youth are at increased risk for bullying others, incarcerated youth in the United States have rarely been studied regarding their bullying behavior prior to incarceration. Understanding the psychological and antisocial correlates of strong-arm bullying pri...

Despite the serious and costly problems presented by juvenile sexual offenders, rigorous tests of promising interventions have rarely been conducted. This study presents a community-based effectiveness trial comparing multisystemic therapy (MST) adapted for juvenile sexual offenders with services that are typical of those provided to juvenile sexual offenders in the United States. Youth were ra...

The present study examined relations among neighborhood structural and social characteristics, parenting practices, peer group affiliations, and delinquency among a group of serious adolescent offenders. The sample of 14-18-year-old boys (N=488) was composed primarily of economically disadvantaged, ethnic-minority youth living in urban communities. The results indicate that weak neighborhood so...

Youth homelessness is a growing problem in the United States. The experience of homelessness appears to have numerous adverse consequences, including psychiatric and substance use disorders. This study compared the frequencies of psychiatric disorders, including substance use, between homeless youth (18-24 years-old) in San Francisco (N = 31) and Chicago (N = 56). Subjects were administered the...

BACKGROUND Youth antisocial behaviour is highly prevalent. Young people are usually not willing to disclose such behaviour to professionals and parents. Our aim was to assess whether child health professionals (CHP) working in preventive child healthcare could identify pre-adolescents at risk for antisocial behaviour through using data that they obtain in routine practice. METHODS CHPs examin...