Recent decreasing trend in US juvenile delinquency attributable to changesin maternal age

Two documented associations, viz., a negative one between maternal age and externalizing behavior of the offspring and a positive one between external izing behavior in childhood and the probability of later (juvenile) delinqu ency, lead to the prediction that cohort-changes in crime rate over the yea rs are associated with the age of the mothers of these cohorts when the chi ldren were born. This prediction was tested by comparing U.S, crime figures between 1987 and 1997 with maternal age figures 17 years earlier (1970-198 0). Both time series show a close resemblance. Although causality from two different time series cannot be asserted, the existence oi such a relations hip is made plausible. Two different hypotheses are presented about the pos sible nature of causality. Results may be of value for studies in crime epi demiology.