THE IMPACT OF FRIENDS DEVIANT-BEHAVIOR ON EARLY-ONSET OF DELINQUENCY - LONGITUDINAL DATA FROM 6 TO 13 YEARS OF AGE

Sociological theories suggest that association With deviant friends is a necessary step on the path to early onset of delinquent behavior, w hile personality theories imply that deviant behavior will be stable f rom childhood to adulthood. These two rival hypotheses were tested wit h boys (N = 758) recruited from 53 schools in low socioeconomic areas of Montreal. Disruptive behavior in kindergarten was assessed by teach ers; aggression and likability at ages 10, 11, and 12 years were rated by classroom peers; delinquent behaviors at ages 11, 12, and 13 years were reported by subjects. Best friend dyads were created by having b oys independently identify each other as one of four best friends. Thr ee independent samples were created to replicate findings at different ages (10-11 years, 11-12 years, and 12-13 years). Results of LISREL a nalyses from the three samples indicated that the main path toward ear ly onset of both overt and covert delinquency was from kindergarten di sruptive behavior to aggression between ages 10 to 12 years, and to de linquency from ages 11 to 13 years. Best friends' behavioral character istics were associated with the subjects' own behavioral characteristi cs between ages of 10 and 12 years, but did not explain the level of s elf-reported delinquency the following year, when the subjects' own be havioral characteristics had been taken into account. Because friends tend to share the same behavioral characteristics, they are more likel y to foster continuity in behavior than change. We suggest that the in fluence of significant peers other than best friends be investigated a nd that a categorical approach be used to try to identify subgroups of boys who may be highly responsive to peers' influence.