Course, co-occurrence, and longitudinal associations of emotional disturbance and delinquency from adolescence to young adulthood: A six-year three-wave study
G. Overbeek et al., Course, co-occurrence, and longitudinal associations of emotional disturbance and delinquency from adolescence to young adulthood: A six-year three-wave study, J YOUTH ADO, 30(4), 2001, pp. 401-426
Three questions were examined in this study: (a) What is the course of emot
ional disturbance and delinquency during adolescence and young adulthood? (
b) To what extent do emotional disturbance and delinquency co-occur during
adolescence and young adulthood? and (c) What are the longitudinal associat
ions between emotional disturbance and delinquency in different age and gen
der categories during adolescence and young adulthood? Data were used from
a national sample of 1,302 adolescents and young adults, who participated i
n a 6-year 3-wave longitudinal study. Findings showed an increase of emotio
nal disturbance and delinqueney from early to midadolescence, after which e
motional disturbance stabilized and delinquency declined into young adultho
od. A significant but relatively weak co-occurrence of emotional disturbanc
e and delinquency was found. Multigroup LISREL analyses demonstrated that a
stability model with no cross-lagged relations fit best for the total samp
le, and across age and gender categories. Thus, co-occurrence of emotional
disturbance and delinquency during adolescence and young adulthood seems to
result from associated but separate psychopathological processes. The stro
ng stability of internalizing and externalizing behavior suggests that prev
ention efforts should be aimed at children and young adolescents.