The Contributions of Propensity,Delinquent Peers,Low Parental Supervision,and Empathy to the Emergence of Antisocial Behavior in Childhood and Adolescence: Testing Developmental Path Models Combining Psychological- and Sociological-Criminological Approaches

Abstract

Psychological- and sociological-criminological research refers to, for example, cumulative risk factor models (e.g., Lösel & Bender, 2003) and Situational Action Theory (SAT; e.g., Wikström, 2006). The German longitudinal study “Chances and Risks in the Life Course” (research project A2, Collaborative Research Center 882; e.g., Reinecke, Stemmler, & Wittenberg, 2016) focuses upon the development of antisocial behavior from a psychological and sociological point of view. Two-wave panel data of two cohorts (children and adolescents) were utilized to test the power of developmental path models investigating the development of antisocial behavior. Individual risk seems to have both direct and indirect influences on antisocial behavior, supporting the ideas of risk factor models; antisocial behavior might be the outcome of the interaction between propensity and criminogenic exposure, so there is evidence for SAT. Additionally, empathy seems to be related to both propensity and low parental supervision. Implications for the study of antisocial behavior in childhood and adolescence are discussed in line with developmental criminology.

Keywords

Propensity criminogenic exposure individual risk empathy antisocial behavior

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association.

Andershed,

, Colins,

O. F.

, Salekin,

R. T.

, Lordos,

, Kyranides,

M. N.

, Fanti,

K. A.

(2018). Callous-unemotional traits only versus the multidimensional psychopathy construct as predictors of various antisocial outcomes during early adolescence. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 40, 16–25. doi: 10.1007/s10862-018-9659-5

Arnis,

(2015). Die Entstehung und Entwicklung devianten und delinquenten Verhaltens im Lebensverlauf und ihre Bedeutung fur soziale Ungleichheitsprozesse: Fragebogendokumentation der Schülerbefragung in Dortmund und Nürnberg. Band 2: Skalendokumentation. Erste Erhebungswelle, 2012. [The emergence and development of deviant and delinquent behavior over the life course and its significance for processes of social inequality: Questionnaire documentation of the student survey in Dortmund and Nuremberg. Volume 2: Scale documentation. First survey wave, 2012.] (SFB 882 Technical Report Series, 18). Bielefeld: DFG Research Center (SFB) 882 From Heterogeneities to Inequalities.

Bergstrøm,

, Farrington,

D. P.

(2018). Grandiose-manipulative, callous-unemotional, and daring-impulsive: The prediction of psychopathic traits in adolescence and their outcomes in adulthood. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 40, 149–158. doi: 10.1007/s10862-018-9674-6

Boers,

, Lösel,

, Remschmidt,

(2009). Entwicklungskriminologie und kriminologische Lebenslaufforschung (Sonderheft). [Developmental criminology and criminological life course research (special issue).]Monatsschrift fur Kriminologie und Strafrechtsreform, 2 (3).

Boers,

, Reinecke,

(2007). Delinquenz im Jugendalter. Erkenntnisse einer Münsteraner Längsschnittstudie. [Delinquency during adolescence. Findings from a longitudinal study in Münster.] Munster: Waxmann.

Browne,

M. W.

, Cudeck,

(1992). Alternative ways of assessing model fit. Sociological Methods & Research, 21, 230–258. doi: 10.1177/0049124192021002005

Byrd,

A. L.

, Loeber,

, Pardini,

D. A.

(2012). Understanding desisting and persisting forms of delinquency: The unique contributions of disruptive behavior disorders and interpersonal callousness. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 53, 371–380. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2011.02504.x

Cooke,

D. J.

, Michie,

(2001). Refining the construct of psychopathy: Towards a hierarchical model. Psychological Assessment, 13, 171–188. doi: 10.1037111040-3590.13.2.171

10.

Corrado,

R. R.

(2002). An introduction to the risk/needs case management instrument for children at risk for violence. In R. R. Corrado, R. Roesch, S. D. Hart, & J. K. Gierowski (Eds.), Multi-problem violent youth: A foundation for comparative research on needs, interventions and outcomes (pp. 295–301). Amsterdam: IOS Press.

11.

Corrado,

R. R.

(2012). Comprehensive risk management instruments for serious and violent young offenders: Challenges and advantages. In T. Bliesener, A. Beelmann, & M. Stemmler (Eds.), Antisocial behavior and crime: Contributions of developmental and evaluation research to prevention and intervention (pp. 239–260). Göttingen: Hogrefe.

12.

Corrado,

R. R.

, DeLisi,

, Hart,

S. D.

, McCuish,

E. C.

(2015). Can the causal mechanisms underlying chronic, serious, and violent offending trajectories be elucidated using the psychopathy construct?Journal of Criminal Justice, 43, 251–261. doi: 10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2015.04.006

13.

Eifler,

, Seipel,

(2001). Eine deutsche Version einer Skala zur Erfassung von Self-Control. [A German version of a scale for assessing self-control.] (Bielefelder Arbeiten zur Sozialpsychologie, 199). Bielefeld: Universität Bielefeld, Fakultät für Soziologie.

14.

Essau,

C. A.

, Sasagawa,

, Frick,

P. J.

(2006). Psychometric properties of the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 15, 597–616. doi: 10.1007/s10826-006-9036-y

15.

Fanti,

K. A.

, Kyranides,

M. N.

, Lordos,

, Colins,

O. F.

, Andershed,

(2018). Unique and interactive associations of callous-unemotional traits, impulsivity and grandiosity with child and adolescent conduct disorder symptoms. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 40, 40–49. doi: 10.1007/s10862-018-9655-9

16.

Farrington,

D. P.

(2005). Childhood origins of antisocial behavior. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 12, 177–190. doi: 10.1002/cpp.448

17.

Farrington,

D. P.

, Piquero,

A. R.

, Jennings,

W. G.

(2013). Offending from childhood to late middle age: Recent results from the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development. New York: Springer.

18.

Farrington,

D. P.

, Ttofi,

M. M.

, Piquero,

A. R.

(2016). Risk, promotive, and protective factors in youth offending: Results from the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development. Journal of Criminal Justice, 45, 63–70. doi: 10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2016.02.014

19.

Fox,

B. H.

, Jennings,

W. G.

, Farrington,

D. P.

(2015). Bringing psychopathy into developmental and life-course criminology theories and research. Journal of Criminal Justice, 43, 274–289. doi: 10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2015.06.003

20.

Frick,

P. J.

(2012). Developmental pathways to conduct disorder: Implications for future directions in research, assessment, and treatment. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolesc-ent Psychology, 41, 378–389. doi: 10.1080/15374416.2012.664815

21.

Frick,

P. J.

, Hare,

(2001). Antisocial Process Screening Device (APSD). Toronto, ON: Multi-Health Systems.

22.

Frick,

P. J.

, Ray,

J. V.

, Thornton,

L. C.

, Kahn,

R. E.

(2014). Can callous-unemotional traits enhance the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of serious conduct problems in children and adolescents? A comprehensive review. Psychological Bulletin, 140, 1–57. doi: 10.1037/a0033076

23.

Frick,

P. J.

, Stickle,

T. R.

, Dandreaux,

D. M.

, Farrell,

J. M.

, Kimonis,

E. R.

(2005). Callous-unemotional traits in predicting the severity and stability of conduct problems and delinquency. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 33, 471–487. doi: 10.1007/s10648-005-5728-9

24.

Frick,

P. J.

, White,

S. F.

(2008). Research review: The importance of callous-unemotional traits for developmental models of aggressive and antisocial behavior. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 49, 359–375. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2007.01862.x

25.

Grasmick,

H. G.

, Tittle,

C. H.

, Bursik

R.J.

Jr , Arneklev,

B. J.

(1993). Testing the core empirical implications of Gottfredson and Hirschi’s general theory of crime. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 30, 5–29. doi: 10.1177/0022427893030001002

26.

Hooper,

, Coughlan,

, Mullen,

(2008). Structural equation modelling: Guidelines for determining model fit. Electronic Journal of Business Research Methods, 6, 53–60.

27.

Jöreskog,

K. G.

(1993). Testing structural equation models. In K. A. Bollen & J. S. Long (Eds.), Testing structural equation models (pp. 294–316). Newbury Park, California: Sage.

28.

Kimonis,

E. R.

, Fanti,

K. A.

, Frick,

P. J.

, Moffitt,

T. E.

, Essau,

, Bijttebier,

, Marsee,

M. A.

(2015). Using self-reported callous-unemotional traits to cross-nationally assess the DSM- ‘With Limited Prosocial Emotions’ specifier. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 56, 1249–1261. doi: 10.1111/jcpp.12357

29.

Lösel,

, Beelmann,

, Jaursch,

, Scherer,

, Stemmler,

, Wallner

(2003). Skalen zur Messung elterlichen Erziehungsverhaltens bei Vorschul- und Grundschulkindern. Die deutschen Versionen der Parenting Sense of Competence Scale (PSOC), der Parenting Scale (PARS) und des Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (APQ). [Scales for assessing parenting behavior among preschool and primary school children. The German versions of the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale (PSOC), the Parenting Scale (PARS), and the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (APQ).] Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg: Institut für Psychologie.

30.

Lösel,

, Beelmann,

, Stemmler,

(2002). Skalen zur Messung sozialen Problemverhaltens bei Vorschul- und Grundschulkindern. Die deutschenVersionen des Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI) und des Social Behavior Questionnaire (SBQ). [Scales for assessing social problem behavior in preschool and primary school children. The German versions of the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI) and the Social Behavior Questionnaire (SBQ).] Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg: Institut für Psychologie.

31.

Lösel,

, Bender,

(2003). Protective factors and resilience. In D. P. Farrington & J. W. Coid (Eds.),Early prevention of adult antisocial behavior (pp. 130–204). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

32.

Lösel,

, Farrington,

D. P.

(2012). Direct protective and buffering protective factors in the development of youth violence. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 43 (2S1), 8–23. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2012.04.029

33.

Lösel,

, Stemmler,

(2012). Preventing child behavior problems in the Erlangen-Nuremberg Development and Prevention Study: Results from preschool to secondary school age. International Journal of Conflict and Violence, 6, 214–224. doi: 10.4119/UNIBI/ijcv.278

34.

Lukesch,

(2006). FEPAA. Fragebogen zur Erfassung von Empathie, Prosozialitat, Aggressionsbereitschaft und aggressivem Verhalten. [FEPAA. Questionnaire to assess empathy, prosociality, disposition for aggression, and aggressive behavior.] Göttingen: Hogrefe.

35.

McCuish,

E. C.

, Corrado,

R. R.

, Hart,

S. D.

, DeLisi,

(2015). The role of symptoms of psychopathy in persistent violence over the criminal career into full adulthood. Journal of Criminal Justice, 43, 345–356. doi: 10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2015.04.008

36.

Meindl,

(1998). Entwicklung und Validierung eines Fragebogens zur Erfassung von Empathie und seine Anwendung im Rahmen eines Empathietrainings. [Development and validation of a questionnaire to assess empathy and its application in empathy training.] Universität Regensburg: Unveröffentlichte Diplomarbeit.

37.

Meinert,

, Kaiser,

, Guzy,

(2014). Die Entstehung und Entwicklung devianten und delinquenten Verhaltens im Lebensverlauf und ihre Bedeutung fur soziale Ungleichheitsprozesse: Fragebogendokumentation der Schülerbefragung in Dortmund und Nürnberg. Band 1: Itemdokumentation. Erste Erhebungswelle, 2012. (SFB 882 Technical Report Series, 7). [The emergence and development of deviant and delinquent behavior over the life course and its significance for processes of social inequality: Questionnaire documentation of the student survey in Dortmund and Nuremberg. Volume 1: Item documentation. First survey wave, 2012.] Bielefeld: DFG Research Center (SFB) 882 From Heterogeneities to Inequalities.

38.

Moffitt,

T. E.

(1993). Adolescence-limited and life-course-per-sistent antisocial behavior: A developmental taxonomy. Psychological Review, 100, 674–701. doi: 10.1037/0033-295X.100.4.674

39.

Moffitt,

T. E.

(2018). Male antisocial behaviour in adolescence and beyond. Nature Human Behaviour, 2, 177–186. doi: 10.1038/s41562-018-0309-4

40.

Moffitt,

T. E.

, Caspi,

, Rutter,

, Silva,

P. A.

(2001). Sex differences in antisocial behaviour: Conduct disorder, delinquency, and violence in the Dunedin Longitudinal Study. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

41.

Moffitt,

T. E.

et al. (2008). Research review: DSM-V conduct disorder: research needs for an evidence base. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 49, 3–33. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2007.01823.x

42.

Muthén,

L. K.

, Muthén,

B. O.

(1998–2018). Mplus user’s guide. 8th edition. LA, CA: Muthén & Muthén.

43.

Pardini,

D. A.

, Fite,

P. J.

(2010). Symptoms of conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and callous-unemotional traits as unique predictors of psychosocial maladjustment in boys: Advancing an evidence base for DSM-V. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 49, 1134–1144. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2010.07.010

44.

Reinecke,

(2014). Strukturgleichungsmodelle in den Sozialwissenschaften. [Structural equation models in the social sciences.]München: OldenbourgWissenschaftsverlag GmbH.

45.

Reinecke,

, Stemmler,

, Sünkel,

, Schepers,

, Weiss,

, Arnis,

, & Wittenberg,

, (2013). The development of deviant and delinquent behavior over the life course in the context of processes of social inequalities. (SFB 882 Working Paper Series, 17). Bielefeld: DFG Research Center (SFB) 882 From Heterogeneities to Inequalities..

46.

Reinecke,

, Stemmler,

, Wittenberg,

(Eds.) (2016). Devianz und Delinquenz im Kindes- und Jugendalter. Ungleichheitsdimensionen und Risikofaktoren. [Deviance and delinquency in childhood and adolescence. Dimensions of inequality and risk factors.] Wiesbaden: Springer VS.

47.

Sampson,

R. J.

, Laub,

J. H.

(2016). Turning points and the future of life-course criminology: Reflections on the 1986 criminal careers report. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 53, 321–335. doi: 10.1177/0022427815616992

48.

Schepers,

(2017). Causes of the causes of juvenile delinquency: Social disadvantages in the context of Situational Action Theory. European Journal of Criminology, 14, 143–159. doi: 10.1177/1477370816649622

49.

Shelton,

K. K.

, Frick,

P. J.

, Wootton,

(1996). Assessment of parenting practices in families of elementary school-age children. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 25, 317–329. doi: 10.1207/s15374424jccp2503_8

50.

Silva,

T. C.

, Stattin,

(2016). The moderating role of parenting on the relationship between psychopathy and antisocial behavior in adolescence. Development and Psychopathology, 28, 505–515. doi: 10.1017/S0954579415001121

51.

Stemmler,

, Wallner,

, Link,

(2018). Risikofaktoren für die Entwicklung dissozialen Verhaltens in der Kindheit und Jugend. [Risk factors for the development of dissocial behavior in childhood and adolescence.] In D. Hermann & A. Pöge (Eds.), Kriminalsoziologie: Handbuch für Wissenschaft und Praxis (pp. 247–261). Baden-Baden: Nomos Verlag.

52.

Tremblay,

, Vitaro,

, Gagnon,

, Piché,

, Royer,

(1992). A prosocial scale for the Preschool Behaviour Questionnaire: Concurrent and predictive correlates. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 15, 227–245. doi: 10.1177/016502549201500204

53.

Uysal,

, Stemmler,

, Weiss,

(2019). Antisocial behaviour and violent delinquency among boys with a migration background: A German panel study. International Journal of Developmental Science, 13, 97–108. doi: 10.3233/DEV-190272

54.

Wallner,

(2016). Psychopathische Merkmale und abweichendes Verhalten. [Psychopathic characteristics and deviant behavior.] In J. Reinecke, M. Stemmler, & J. Wittenberg (Eds.), Devianz und Delinquenz im Kindes- und Jugendalter. Ungleichheitsdimensionen und Risikofaktoren (pp. 217–229). Wiesbaden: Springer VS.

55.

Wallner,

, Lösel,

, Stemmler,

, Corrado,

R. R.

(2018). The validity of the Cracow Instrument in the prediction of antisocial development in preschool children: A five-year longitudinal community based study. International Journal of Forensic Mental Health, 17, 181–194. doi: 10.1080/14999013.2018.1460423

56.

Wallner,

, Weiss,

(2019). Prävalenz und Verlauf von Devianz und Delinquenz. [Prevalence and course of deviance and delinquency.] In S. Wallner, M. Weiss, J. Reinecke, & M. Stemmler (Eds.), Die Entwicklung von Devianz und Delinquenz in Kindheit und Jugend. Neue Ansätze der kriminologischen Forschung (pp. 39–61). Wiesbaden: Springer VS.

57.

Wallner,

, Weiss,

, Reinecke,

, Stemmler,

(Eds.) (2019). Devianz und Delinquenz in Kindheit und Jugend. Neue Ansätze der kriminologischen Forschung. [Deviance and delinquency in childhood and adolescence. New approaches in criminological research.] Wiesbaden: Springer VS.

58.

Weiss,

, Link,

(2019). Analysen zur Panelmortalität. [Analyses on panel mortality.] In S.Wallner, M.Weiss, J. Reinecke, & M. Stemmler (Eds.), Die Entwicklung von Devianz und Delinquenz in Kindheit und Jugend. Neue Ansätze der kriminologischen Forschung (pp. 63–82). Wiesbaden: Springer VS.

59.

Wikström,

P.-O. H.

(2006). Individuals, settings, and acts of crime: Situational mechanisms and the explanation of crime. In P.-O. H.Wikström & R. J. Sampson (Eds.), The explanation of crime (pp. 61–107). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

60.

Wikström,

P.-O. H.

(2009). Crime propensity, criminogenic exposure and crime involvement in early to mid-adolescence. Monatsschrift fur Kriminologie und Strafrechtsreform, 92, 253–266. doi: 10.1515/mks-2009-922-312

61.

Wikström,

P.-O. H.

, Oberwittler,

, Treiber,

, Hardie,

(2012). Breaking rules: The social and situational dynamics of young people’s urban crime. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

62.

Wikström,

P.-O. H.

, Treiber,

K. H.

(2009). Violence as situational action. International Journal of Conflict and Violence, 3, 75–96. doi: 10.4119/UNIBI/ijcv.49