Childhood predictors of violent behavior

In this study, prospective childhood data from birth to 7 years of age were used to determine predictors of subsequent violent behavior. The childhood predictors found for the girls accounted for more variance in the reported later violent offenses. 24.9% compared to 3.8% for the boys. This large di fference may be due partly to the fact that violent behavior is more unusua l among girls, thus, those girls who are violent are more readily different iated from the others. The only two early childhood variables that were fou nd to predict for both genders were: (a) less normal behavior and (b) prese nce of deviant or stereotyped behavior. Thus, abnormal behavior in childhoo d can be considered to be a fairly reliable predictor to greater likelihood of later violent behavior. (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.