Illicit substance use and delinquency are significant public health challenges worldwide. These behaviors are closely interrelated and often emerge during adolescence, yet their manifestation is heterogeneous. Given this and their complex relationships with risk factors, identifying distinct profiles is particularly relevant in Latin America, where research remains limited. This study analyzed data from 2,059 Argentine adolescents (ages 13–18) who participated in the International Self-Report Delinquency Study-4, to identify subgroups based on lifetime illicit substance use (cannabis and other drugs) and nonviolent and violent delinquency, both online and offline, and to explore covariates for each group. A Latent Class Analysis revealed three subgroups: low-risk (73.5%), high-delinquency (18.1%), and co-occurrence (8.4%). Multinomial regression showed that peer delinquency, low self-control, and poor parental supervision were associated with both high-risk groups. Being male was associated with the high-delinquency class, while older age and low happiness were associated with the co-occurrence class. Low future expectations, perceived discrimination, and neighborhood disorganization were not significantly associated with any of the classes. These findings provide evidence of the complexity of adolescent risk patterns and suggest that prevention should adopt differentiated responses accordingly. Shared covariates may inform comprehensive strategies, while unique predictors highlight the need for targeted interventions.
AkersR. L.JenningsW. G. (2015). Social learning theory. In PiqueroA. R. (Ed.), The handbook of criminological theory (pp. 230–240). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118512449.ch12
2.
AllenJ.HolderM. D. (2014). Marijuana use and well-being in university students. Journal of Happiness Studies, 15(2), 301–321. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-013-9423-1
3.
ArbachK.OrpianesiC.BobbioA. (2021). Necesidades de salud mental en adolescentes en conflicto con la ley penal: Un estudio descriptivo en una muestra de Argentina [Mental health needs in juvenile offenders: A descriptive study in an Argentinean sample]. Psicodebate, 21(1), 33–48. https://doi.org/10.18682/pd.v21i1.4004
4.
AsparouhovT.MuthénB. (2014). Auxiliary variables in mixture modeling: Three-step approaches using MPlus. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 21(3), 329–341. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705511.2014.915181
5.
AstonE. V. (2015). Are risk factors for drug use and offending similar during the teenage years?International Journal of Drug Policy, 26(4), 396–403. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2014.11.002
6.
BenedettiE.ColasanteE.CerraiS.GerraG.TadonioL.PellegriniP.MolinaroS. (2022). Violent behaviours among adolescents and young adults: Association with psychoactive substance use and parenting styles. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(7), 3756. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19073756
7.
BennettM.RocheK. M.HuebnerD. M.LambertS. F. (2024). Peer discrimination, deviant peer affiliation, and Latino/a adolescent internalizing and externalizing symptoms: A prospective study. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 53(4), 652–668. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0246998
8.
BennettT.HollowayK. (2018). Drug and alcohol-related crime among university students. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 62(14), 4489–4509. https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X18769601
9.
BennettT.HollowayK.FarringtonD. (2008). The statistical association between drug misuse and crime: A meta-analysis. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 13(2), 107–118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2008.02.001
10.
BirkbeckC.HazelN.BaileyL. (2022). La Coexistencia de la Victimización y la Conducta Problemática en la Vida Juvenil: Una Revisión Sistemática (Scoping Review) [Children as victims and offenders: A scoping review]. Revista CENIPEC, 34, 51–105. https://doi.org/10.53766/RECENI/2022.34.03
11.
BjörklundC.LandbergJ.SivertssonF.LarmP. (2024). Co-occurring alcohol misuse and criminal offending in adolescence: Is it a matter of similarity, severity, or accumulation of risk factors?Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 85(3), 371–380. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.22-00379
12.
BobbioA.ArbachK.BrueraJ. (2022). Conducta antinormativa en adolescentes: Prevalencias y diferencias por sexo [Normative deviance in adolescents: Prevalences and differences by sex]. Revista Argentina de Ciencias del Comportamiento, 14(3), 67–81. https://doi.org/10.32348/1852.4206.v14.n3.31963
13.
BobbioA.ArbachK.Redondo IllescasS. (2020). Juvenile delinquency risk factors: Individual, social, opportunity, or all of these together?International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice, 62, 100388. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijlcj.2020.100388
14.
BonellC.HindsK.DicksonK.ThomasJ.FletcherA.MurphyS.Melendez-TorresG. J.BonellC.CampbellR. (2016). What is positive youth development, and how might it reduce substance use and violence? A systematic review and synthesis of theoretical literature. BMC Public Health, 16(1), 135. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-016-2817-3
15.
BrennanT.BreitenbachM.DieterichW. (2008). Towards an explanatory taxonomy of adolescent delinquents: Identifying several social-psychological profiles. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 24(2), 179–203. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10940-008-9045-7
16.
BrightC. L.SaccoP.KolivoskiK. M.StapletonL. M.JunH. J.Morris-ComptonD. (2017). Gender differences in patterns of substance use and delinquency: A latent transition analysis. Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse, 26(2), 162–173. https://doi.org/10.1080/1067828X.2016.1242100
17.
CarneyT.MyersB. (2012). Effectiveness of early interventions for substance-using adolescents: Findings from a systematic review and meta-analysis. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 7(1), 25. https://doi.org/10.1186/1747-597X-7-25
18.
ChoiJ.KruisN. E. (2020). Gender, self-control, and opportunity: Applying the general theory of crime to online harassment. International Journal of Cyber Criminology, 14(1), 267–282. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3753014
19.
ClevelandM. J.FeinbergM. E.BontempoD. E.GreenbergM. T. (2008). The role of risk and protective factors in substance use across adolescence. Journal of Adolescent Health, 43(2), 157–164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2008.01.015
20.
CuiK.FongT. C. T.YipP. S. F. (2024). Latent heterogeneity of deviant behaviors and associated factors among ethnic minority adolescents: A latent class analysis. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 18(1), 93. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-024-00771-7
21.
de JongeM. C.BukmanA. J.van LeeuwenL.OnrustS. A.KleinjanM. (2022). Latent classes of substance use in young adults—A systematic review. Substance Use & Misuse, 57(5), 769–785. https://doi.org/10.1080/10826084.2022.2040029
22.
DellazizzoL.PotvinS.DouB. Y.BeaudoinM.LuigiM.GiguèreC.-É.DumaisA. (2020). Association Between the use of cannabis and physical violence in youths: A meta-analytical investigation. American Journal of Psychiatry, 177(7), 619–626. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.19101008
23.
de RiberaO. S.TrajtenbergN.ShenderovichY.MurrayJ. (2019). Correlates of youth violence in low- and middle-income countries: A meta-analysis. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 49, 101306. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2019.07.001
EvansC. B.StalkerK. C.BrownM. E. (2021). A systematic review of crime/violence and substance use prevention programs. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 56, 101513. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2020.101513
26.
FarringtonD. P. (2021). New findings in the Cambridge study in delinquent development. In BarnesJ. C.FordeD. R. (Eds.), The Encyclopedia of research methods in criminology and criminal justice (pp. 96–103). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119111931.ch20
27.
FarringtonD. P.JonkmanH.Groeger-RothF. (2020). Delinquency and substance use in Europe: Understanding risk and protective factors. Springer Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58442-9
28.
FarringtonD. P.GaffneyH.TtofiM. M. (2017). Systematic reviews of explanatory risk factors for violence, offending, and delinquency. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 33, 24–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2016.11.004
29.
GalinariL. S.BazonM. R. (2020). Typology in juvenile delinquency: A literature review. Revista de Psicología (Perú), 38(2), 577–612. https://doi.org/10.18800/PSICO.202002.009
30.
GobbiG.AtkinT.ZytynskiT.WangS.AskariS.BoruffJ.WareM.MarmorsteinN.CiprianiA.DendukuriN.MayoN. (2019). Association of cannabis use in adolescence and risk of depression, anxiety, and suicidality in young adulthood: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Psychiatry, 76(4), 426–434. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.4500
GuoY.YangY.DeveauxL.Dinaj-KociV.SchieberE.HerbertC.LeeJ.WangB. (2023). Exploring effects of multi-level factors on transitions of risk-taking behaviors among Bahamian middle-to-late adolescents. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 47(3), 210–220. https://doi.org/10.1177/01650254221148117
JackmanD. M.MacPheeD. (2017). Self-esteem and future orientation predict adolescents’ risk engagement. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 37(3), 339–366. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431615602756
35.
KomatsuA. V.CostaR. C. S.GalinariL. S.Carpio de la TorreR.BazonM. R. (2019). Substance use and involvement in situations of violence: A typological study of a Brazilian population-based sample. International Annals of Criminology, 57(1–2), 25–47. https://doi.org/10.1017/cri.2020.3
36.
LoeberR.CapaldiD. M.CostelloE. (2013). Gender and the development of aggression, disruptive behavior, and delinquency from childhood to early adulthood. In TolanP.LeventhalB. (Eds.), Disruptive behavior disorders (pp. 137–160). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7557-6_6
37.
LutherA. W.LeatherdaleS. T.DubinJ. A.FerroM. A. (2024). Classifying patterns of delinquent behaviours and experiences of victimization: A latent class analysis among children. Child & Youth Care Forum, 53(3), 693–717. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-023-09767-4
38.
MarasK.SweiryA.VilladsenA.FitzsimonsE. (2024). Cyber offending predictors and pathways in middle adolescence: Evidence from the UK Millennium Cohort Study. Computers in Human Behavior, 151, 108011. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2023.108011
39.
MarshallI. H.BirkbeckC.EnzmannD.KivivuoriJ.MarkinaA.SteketeeM. (2022). International Self-Report Delinquency (ISRD4) study protocol: Background, methodology and mandatory items for the 2021/2022 (ISRD Technical Report #4). Northeastern University.
40.
McAdamsT. A.SalekinR. T.MartiC. N.LesterW. S.BarkerE. D. (2014). Co-occurrence of antisocial behavior and substance use: Testing for sex differences in the impact of older male friends, low parental knowledge, and friends’ delinquency. Journal of Adolescence, 37(3), 247–256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2014.01.001
41.
MonahanK. C.RhewI. C.HawkinsJ. D.BrownE. C. (2014). Adolescent pathways to co-occurring problem behavior: The effects of peer delinquency and peer substance use. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 24(4), 630–645. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.12053
42.
MulveyE. P.SchubertC. A.ChassinL. (2011). Substance use and delinquent behavior among serious adolescent offenders. Criminal Justice Research Review, 12(4), 58–66. https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/232790.pdf
43.
Nylund-GibsonK.ChoiA. Y. (2018). Ten frequently asked questions about latent class analysis. Translational Issues in Psychological Science, 4(4), 440–461. https://doi.org/10.1037/tps0000176
44.
ObandoD.TrujilloA.TrujilloC. A. (2014). Substance use and antisocial behavior in adolescents: The role of family and peer-individual risk and protective factors. Substance Use & Misuse, 49(14), 1934–1944. https://doi.org/10.3109/10826084.2014.956365
45.
OliveiraE. D. S.AlvesdaSilvaB. F.SaporiF. L.CardosoG. G. (2020). Homicide and drug trafficking in impoverished communities in Brazil. International Journal of Law and Public Administration, 3(2), 10. https://doi.org/10.11114/ijlpa.v3i2.5008
46.
PicoitoJ.SantosC.NunesC. (2021). Emotional and behavioural pathways to adolescent substance use and antisocial behaviour: Results from the UK Millennium Cohort Study. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 30(11), 1813–1823. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-020-01661-x
47.
RodríguezJ. A.Pérez-SantiagoN.BirkbeckC. (2015). Surveys as cultural artefacts: Applying the international self-report delinquency study to Latin American adolescents. European Journal of Criminology, 12(4), 420–436. https://doi.org/10.1177/1477370815581701
SkeenS.LaurenziC. A.GordonS. L.du ToitS.TomlinsonM.DuaT.FleischmannA.KohlK.RossD.ServiliC.BrandA. S.DowdallN.LundC.van der WesthuizenC.Carvajal-AguirreL.Eriksson de CarvalhoC.Melendez-TorresG. J. (2019). Adolescent mental health program components and behavior risk reduction: A meta-analysis. Pediatrics, 144(2), e20183488. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2018-3488
50.
TubmanJ. G.GilA. G.WagnerE. F. (2004). Co-occurring substance use and delinquent behavior during early adolescence: Emerging relations and implications for intervention strategies. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 31(4), 463–488. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093854804265178
51.
TurnerR.DanebackK.SkårnerA. (2020). Explaining trajectories of adolescent drunkenness, drug use, and criminality: A latent transition analysis with socio-ecological covariates. Addictive Behaviors, 102, 106145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2019.106145
52.
VaughnM. G.Salas-WrightC. P.DeLisiM.MaynardB. R. (2014). Violence and externalizing behavior among youth in the United States. Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, 12(1), 3–21. https://doi.org/10.1177/1541204013478973
53.
Viano TelloC. M.GuibertM.BobbioA.ArbachK. (2025). Consumo riesgoso de sustancias y conducta delictiva en adolescentes argentinos: un estudio comparativo según género [Risky substance use and offending behavior in Argentinian adolescents: A gender-comparative study]. Revista Argentina de Ciencias del Comportamiento, 17(1), 17–29. https://doi.org/10.32348/1852.4206.v17.n01.43620
54.
WaltersG. D. (2022). Does adolescent drug use belong on the antisocial spectrum? Mediating the drug–crime connection with cognitive impulsivity. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 80, 101761. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijlp.2021.101761
55.
WellerB. E.BowenN. K.FaubertS. J. (2020). Latent class analysis: A guide to best practice. Journal of Black Psychology, 46(4), 287–311. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095798420930932
56.
WhiteH. R.ConwayF. N.WardJ. H. (2019). Comorbidity of substance use and violence. In KrohnM.HendrixN.Penly HallG.LizotteA. (Eds.), Handbook on crime and deviance (pp. 513–532). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20779-3_26
57.
WooS. E.HofmansJ.WilleB.TayL. (2024). Person-centered modeling: Techniques for studying associations between people rather than variables. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 11(1), 453–480. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-110721-045646
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
