Abstract
This chapter has two main aims. First, it summarizes the major risk factors for conduct problems and delinquency and, second, it reviews the scientific evidence on the effectiveness of interventions to prevent conduct disorder and delinquency. The chapter focuses on risk factors discovered in prospective longitudinal surveys and on successful interventions demonstrated in randomized controlled experiments. (For descriptions of longitudinal surveys, see Kalb et al. 2001; for reviews of risk factors, see Hawkins et al. 1998; for reviews of intervention studies, see Farrington and Welsh 2003.) It also focuses mainly on young people aged 10–17 and relies on research carried out in North America, Great Britain, or similar Western countries. Most research has been carried out with males, but studies of females are included where applicable (e.g., Moffitt et al. 2001). The focus is on substantive results rather than methodological and theoretical issues.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alexander, J.F. and Parsons, B.V. (1973) Short-term behavioral intervention with delinquent families: Impact on family process and recidivism. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 81, 219–225.
Aos, S., Phipps, P., Barnoski, R. and Lieb, R. (2001 a) The Comparative Costs and Benefits of Programs to Reduce Crime (version 4.0). Olympia, WA: Washington State Institute for Public Policy.
Aos, S., Phipps, P., Barnoski, R., and Lieb, R. (2001 b) The comparative costs and benefits of programs to reduce crime: A review of research findings with implications for Washington State. In B. C. Welsh, D. P. Farrington and L.W. Sherman (Eds.) Costs and benefits of preventing crime (pp. 149–175). Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Berrueta-Clement, J.R., Schweinhart, L.J., Barnett, W.S., Epstein, A.S. and Weikart, D.P. (1984) Changed lives. Ypsilanti, MI: High/Scope.
Blum, H.M., Boyle, M.H. and Offord, D.R. (1988) Single-parent families: Child psychiatric disorder and school performance. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 27, 214–219.
Borduin, C.M., Mann, B.J., Cone, L.T., Henggeler, S.W., Fucci, B.R., Blaske, D.M. and Williams, R. A. (1995) Multisystemic treatment of serious juvenile offenders: Long-term prevention of criminality and violence. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 63, 569–578.
Brennan, P.A., Mednick, B.R. and Mednick, S.A. (1993) Parental psychopathology, congenital factors, and violence. In S. Hodgins (Ed.) Mental disorder and crime (pp. 244–261). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Buehler, C., Anthony, C., Krishnakumar, A., Stone, G., Gerard, J. and Pemberton, S. (1997) Interparental conflict and youth problem behaviors: A meta-analysis. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 6, 233–247.
Caspi, A. (2000) The child is father of the man: Personality continuities from childhood to adulthood. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78, 158–172.
Catalano, R.F., Arthur, M.W., Hawkins, J. D., Berglund, L. and Olson, J. J. (1998) Comprehensive community and school based interventions to prevent antisocial behavior. In R. Loeber and D.P. Farrington (Eds.) Serious and violent juvenile offenders: Risk factors and successful interventions (pp. 248–283). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Catalano, R. F., Hawkins, J. D., Berglund, L., Pollard, J.A. and Arthur, M.W. (2002) Prevention science and positive youth development: Competitive or cooperative frameworks? Journal of Adolescent Health, 31, 230–239.
Chamberlain, P. and Reid, J.B. (1998) Comparison of two community alternatives to incarceration for chronic juvenile offenders. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66, 624–633.
Cohen, P., Brook, J.S., Cohen, J., Velez, C.N. and Garcia, M. (1990) Common and uncommon pathways to adolescent psychopathology and problem behavior. In L.N. Robins and M. Rutter (Eds.) Straight and devious pathways from childhood to adulthood (pp. 242–258). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Denno, D.W. (1990) Biology and violence: From birth to adulthood. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Dishion, T.J., Patterson, G.R. and Kavanagh, K.A. (1992) An experimental test of the coercion model: Linking theory, measurement and intervention. In J. McCord and R. Tremblay (Eds.) Preventing antisocial behavior (pp. 253–282). New York: Guilford.
Elliott, D.S. and Menard, S. (1996) Delinquent friends and delinquent behavior: Temporal and developmental patterns. In J.D. Hawkins (Ed.) Delinquency and crime: Current theories (pp. 28–67). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Farrington, D.P. (1972) Delinquency begins at home. New Society, 21, 495–497.
Farrington, D.P. (1979) Environmental stress, delinquent behavior, and convictions. In I.G. Sarason and C.D. Spielberger (Eds.) Stress and anxiety, vol. 6 (pp. 93–107). Washington, DC: Hemisphere.
Farrington, D.P. (1983) Randomized experiments on crime and justice. In M. Tonry and N. Morris (Eds.) Crime and justice, vol. 4 (pp. 257–308). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Farrington, D.P. (1992a) Explaining the beginning, progress and ending of antisocial behavior from birth to adulthood. In J. McCord (Ed.) Facts, frameworks and forecasts: Advances in criminological theory, vol. 3 (pp. 253–286). New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction.
Farrington, D.P. (1992b) Juvenile delinquency. In J. C. Coleman (Ed.) The school years, 2nd ed. (pp. 123–163). London: Routledge.
Farrington, D.P. (1993) Childhood origins of teenage antisocial behavior and adult social dysfunction. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 86, 13–17.
Farrington, D.P. (1994) Childhood, adolescent and adult features of violent males. In L.R. Huesman (Ed.) Aggressive behavior: Current perspectives (pp. 215–240). New York: Plenum.
Farrington, D.P. (2000) Adolescent violence: Findings and implications from the Cambridge Study. In G. Boswell (Ed.) Violent children and adolescents: Asking the question why (pp. 19–35). London: Whurr.
Farrington, D.P. and Loeber, R. (1999) Transatlantic replicability of risk factors in the development of delinquency. In P. Cohen, C. Slomkowski, and L.N. Robins (Eds.) Historical and geographical influences on psychopathology (pp. 299–329). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Farrington, D.P. and Welsh, B.C. (2003) Family-based prevention of offending: A meta-analysis. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 36, 127–151.
Farrington, D. P., Barnes, G. and Lambert, S. (1996) The concentration of offending in families. Legal and Criminological Psychology, 1, 47–63.
Farrington, D.P., Biron, L. and LeBlanc, M. (1982) Personality and delinquency in London and Montreal. In J. Gunn and D.P. Farrington (Eds.) Abnormal offenders, delinquency, and the criminal justice system (pp. 153-201). Chichester, England: Wiley.
Farrington, D.P., Loeber, R. and van Kammen, W.B. (1990) Long-term criminal outcomes of hyperactivity-impulsivity-attention deficit and conduct problems in childhood. In L.N. Robins and M. Rutter (Eds.) Straight and devious pathways from childhood to adulthood (pp. 62–81). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Feldman, R.A., Caplinger, T.E. and Wodarski, J.S. (1983) The St. Louis conundrum. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Fergusson, D.M. and Horwood, L.J. (1998) Exposure to interparental violence in childhood and psychosocial adjustment in young adulthood. Child Abuse and Neglect, 22, 339–357.
Fergusson, D.M., Horwood, J. and Lynskey, M.T. (1994) Parental separation, adolescent psychopathology, and problem behaviors. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 33, 1122–1131.
Fischer, D.G. (1984) Family size and delinquency. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 58, 527–534.
Frick, P.J., Kamphaus, R.W., Lahey, B.B., Loeber, R., Christ, M.A.G., Hart, E.L. and Tannenbaum, L.E. (1991) Academic underachievement and the disruptive behavior disorders. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 59, 289–294.
Frick, P.J., Lahey, B.B., Loeber, R., Stouthamer-Loeber, M., Christ, M.A.G. and Hanson, K. (1992) Familial risk factors to oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder: Parental psychopathology and maternal parenting. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 60, 49–55.
Goodman, R., Simonoff, E. and Stevenson, J. (1995) The impact of child IQ, parent IQ and sibling IQ on child behavioral deviance scores. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 36, 409–425.
Gordon, D.A. (1995) Functional family therapy for delinquents. In R.R. Ross, D.H. Antonowicz and G.K. Dhaliwal (Eds.) Going straight: Effective delinquency prevention and offender rehabilitation (pp. 163–178). Ottawa, Canada: Air Training and Publications.
Gottfredson, D.C. (2001) Schools and delinquency. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Gottfredson, D.C., McNeil, R.J. and Gottfredson, G.D. (1991) Social area influences on delinquency: A multilevel analyses. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 28 197–226.
Graham, J. (1988) Schools, disruptive behaviour and delinquency. London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office.
Haapasalo, J. and Pokela, E. (1999) Child-rearing and child abuse antecedents of criminality. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 1, 107–127.
Harrell, A.V., Cavanagh, S.E., Harmon, M.A., Koper, C.S. and Sridharan, S. (1997) Impact of the Children at Risk program: Comprehensive final report, vol. 2. Washington, DC: The Urban Institute.
Harrell, A.V., Cavanagh, S.E. and Sridharan, S. (1999) Evaluation of the Children at Risk program: Results one year after the program. Washington, DC: U.S. National Institute of Justice.
Hawkins, J.D., Herrenkohl, T., Farrington, D.P., Brewer, D., Catalano, R.F. and Harachi, T.W. (1998) A review of predictors of youth violence. In R. Loeber and D.P. Farrington (Eds.) Serious and violent juvenile offenders: Risk factors and successful interventions (pp. 106–146). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Hawkins, J.D., Catalano, R.F., Kosterman, R., Abbott, R. and Hill, K.G. (1999) Preventing adolescent health risk behaviors by strengthening protection during childhood. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 153, 226–234.
Henggeler, S.W., Melton, G.B., Smith, L.A., Schoenwald, S.K. and Hanley, J.H. (1993) Family preservation using multisystemic treatment: Long-term follow-up to a clinical trial with serious juvenile offenders. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 2, 283–293.
Henggeler, S.W., Melton, G.B., Brondino, M.J., Scherer, D.G. and Hanley, J.H. (1997) Multisystemic therapy with violent and chronic juvenile offenders and their families: The role of treatment fidelity in successful dissemination. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 65, 821–833.
Henry, B., Moffitt, T., Robins, L., Earls, F. and Silva, P. (1993) Early family predictors of child and adolescent antisocial behavior: Who are the mothers of delinquents? Criminal Behavior and Mental Health, 2, 97–118.
Henry, B., Caspi, A., Moffitt, T.E. and Silva, P.A. (1996) Temperamental and familial predictors of violent and nonviolent criminal convictions: Age3 to age18. Developmental Psychology, 32, 614–623.
Herrenkohl, T.I., Hawkins, J.D., Chung, I.-J., Hill, K.G. and Battin-Pearson, S. (2001) School and community risk factors and interventions. In R. Loeber and D. P. Farrington (Eds.) Child delinquents: Development, intervention and service needs (pp. 211–246). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Hogh, E. and Wolf, P. (1983) Violent crime in a birth cohort: Copenhagen 1953–1977. In K.T. van Dusen and S.A. Mednick (Eds.) Prospective studies of crime and delinquency (pp. 249–267). Boston: Kluwer-Nijhoff.
Jenkins, J.M. and Smith, M.A. (1991) Marital disharmony and children’s behavior problems: Aspects of a poor marriage that affect children adversely. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 32, 793–810.
Jones, M.B. and Offord, D.R. (1989) Reduction of antisocial behavior in poor children by non-school skill-development. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 30, 737–750.
Juby, H. and Farrington, D.P. (2001) Disentangling the link between disrupted families and delinquency. British Journal of Criminology, 41, 22–40.
Kalb, L.M., Farrington, D.P. and Loeber, R. (2001) Leading longitudinal studies on delinquency, substance use, sexual behavior, and mental health problems with childhood samples. In R. Loeber and D.P. Farrington (Eds.) Child delinquents: Development, intervention, and service needs (pp. 415–423). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Kazdin, A.E. (1997) Parent management training: Evidence, outcomes and issues. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36, 1349–1356.
Keenan, K., Loeber, R., Zhang, Q., Stouthamer-Loeber, M. and van Kammen, W.B. (1995) The influence of deviant peers on the development of boys’ disruptive and delinquent behavior: A temporal analysis. Development and Psychopathology, 7, 715–726.
Klinteberg, B.A., Andersson, T., Magnusson, D. and Stattin, H. (1993) Hyperactive behavior in childhood as related to subsequent alcohol problems and violent offending: A longitudinal study of male subjects. Personality and Individual Differences, 15, 381–388.
Kolvin, I., Miller, F.J.W., Fleeting, M. and Kolvin, P.A. (1988) Social and parenting factors affecting criminal-offence rates: Findings from the Newcastle Thousand Family Study (1947–1980). British Journal of Psychiatry, 152, 80–90.
Lahey, B.B., Moffitt, T.E. and Caspi, A. (Eds.) (2003) The causes of conduct disorder and serious juvenile delinquency. New York: Guilford Press.
Leschied, A. and Cunningham, A. (2002) Seeking effective interventions for serious young offenders: Interim results of a four-year randomized study of multisystemic therapy in Ontario, Canada. London, Canada: London Family Court Clinic.
Lipsey, M.W. and Derzon, J.H. (1998) Predictors of violent or serious delinquency in adolescence and early adulthood: A synthesis of longitudinal research. In R. Loeber and D.P. Farrington (Eds.) Serious and violent juvenile offenders: Risk factors and successful interventions (pp. 86–105). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Lipsey, M.W. and Wilson, D.B. (1998) Effective intervention for serious juvenile offenders: A synthesis of research. In R. Loeber and D.P. Farrington (Eds.) Serious and violent juvenile offenders: Risk factors and successful interventions (pp. 313–345). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Loeber, R., Farrington, D.P., Stouthamer-Loeber, M. and van Kammen, W.B. (1998) Antisocial behavior and mental health problems: Explanatory factors in childhood and adolescence. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Loeber, R., Green, S.M., Keenan, K. and Lahey, B.B. (1995) Which boys will fare worse? Early predictors of the onset of conduct disorder in a six-year longitudinal study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 34, 499–509.
Loeber, R., Farrington, D.P., Stouthamer-Loeber, M., Moffitt, T.E., Caspi, A. and Lynam, D. (2001) Male mental health problems, psychopathy, and personality traits: Key findings from the first 14 years of the Pittsburgh Youth Study. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 4, 273–297.
Lynam, D. (1996) Early identification of chronic offenders: Who is the fledgling psychopath? Psychological Bulletin, 120, 209–234.
Lynam, D.R. (1998) Early identification of the fledgling psychopath: Locating the psychopathic child in the current nomenclature. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 107, 566–575.
Malinosky-Rummell, R. and Hansen, D.J. (1993) Long-term consequences of childhood physical abuse. Psychological Bulletin, 114, 68–79.
Masten, A. and Reed, M.-G.J. (2002) Resilience in development. In C.R. Snyder and S.J. Lopez (Eds.) The handbook of positive psychology (pp. 74–88). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Maxfield, M.G. and Widom, C.S. (1996) The cycle of violence revisited six years later. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 150, 390–395.
McCord, J. (1977) A comparative study of two generations of native Americans. In R. F. Meier (Ed.) Theory in criminology (pp. 83–92). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
McCord, J. (1979) Some child-rearing antecedents of criminal behavior in adult men. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37, 1477–1486.
Moffitt, T.E. (1993) The neuropsychology of conduct disorder. Development and Psychopathology, 5, 135–151.
Moffitt, T.E., Caspi, A., Rutter, M. and Silva, P.A. (2001) Sex differences in antisocial behavior. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Morash, M. and Rucker, L. (1989) An exploratory study of the connection of mother’s age at childbearing to her children’s delinquency in four data sets. Crime and Delinquency, 35, 45–93.
Nagin, D.S., Pogarsky, G. and Farrington, D.P. (1997) Adolescent mothers and the criminal behavior of their children. Law and Society Review, 31, 137–162.
Newson, J., Newson, E. and Adams, M. (1993) The social origins of delinquency. Criminal Behavior and Mental Health, 3, 19–29.
Offord, D.R., Alder, R.J. and Boyle, M.H. (1986) Prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of conduct disorder. American Journal of Social Psychiatry, 6, 272–278.
Offord, D. R., Boyle, M. H. and Racine, Y. (1989) Ontario Child Health Study: Correlates of disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 28, 856–860.
Olds, D. L., Henderson, C. R., Chamberlain, R. and Tatelbaum, R. (1986) Preventing child abuse and neglect: A randomized trial of nurse home visitation. Pediatrics, 78, 65–78.
Olds, D. L., Eckenrode, J., Henderson, C.R., Kitzman, H., Powers, J., Cole, R., Sidora, K., Morris, P., Pettitt, L.M. and Luckey, D.W. (1997) Long-term effects of home visitation on maternal life course and child abuse and neglect. Journal of the American Medical Association, 278, 637–643.
Olds, D.L., Henderson, C.R., Cole, R., Eckenrode, J., Kitzman, H., Luckey, D., Pettitt, L., Sidora, K., Morris, P. and Powers, J. (1998) Long-term effects of nurse home visitation on children’s criminal and antisocial behavior: 15-year follow-up ofa randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Medical Association, 280, 1238–1244.
Olweus, D. (1994) Bullying at school: Basic facts and effects of a school based intervention program. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 35, 1171–1190.
Patterson, G.R. (1982) Coercive family process. Eugene, OR: Castalia.
Patterson, G.R., Chamberlain, P. and Reid, J.B. (1982) A comparative evaluation of a parent training program. Behavior Therapy, 13, 638–650.
Patterson, G.R., Reid, J.B. and Dishion, T.J. (1992) Antisocial boys. Eugene, OR: Castalia.
Reiss, A.J. and Farrington, D.P. (1991) Advancing knowledge about co-offending: Results from a prospective longitudinal survey of London males. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 82, 360–395.
Reynolds, A.J., Temple, J.A., Robertson, D.L. and Mann, E.A. (2001) Long-term effects of an early childhood intervention on educational achievement and juvenile arrest: A 15-year follow-up of low-income children in public schools. Journal of the American Medical Association, 285, 2339–2346.
Robins, L.N. (1979) Sturdy childhood predictors of adult outcomes: Replications from longitudinal studies. In J.E. Barrett, R. M. Rose and G.L. Klerman (Eds.) Stress and mental disorder (pp. 219–235). New York: Raven Press.
Robins, L.N., West, P.J. and Herjanic, B.L. (1975) Arrests and delinquency in two generations: A study of black urban families and their children. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 16, 125–140.
Ross, R.R. and Ross, R.D. (Eds.) (1995) Thinking straight: The reasoning and rehabilitation program for delinquency prevention and offender rehabilitation. Ottawa, Canada: Air Training and Publications.
Rothbaum, F. and Weisz, J.R. (1994) Parental caregiving and child externalizing behavior in nonclinical samples: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 116, 55–74.
Rowe, D.C. (2002) Biology and crime. Los Angeles, CA: Roxbury.
Rutter, M. (1981) The city and the child. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 51, 610–625.
Sampson, R.J., Raudenbush, S. W. and Earls, F. (1997) Neighborhoods and violent crime: A multilevel study of collective efficacy. Science, 277, 918–924.
Schweinhart, L.J. and Weikart, D.P. (1980) Young children grow up. Ypsilanti, MI: High/Scope.
Schweinhart, L.J., Barnes, H.V. and Weikart, D.P. (1993) Significant benefits. Ypsilanti, MI: High/Scope.
Smith, C.A. and Stern, S.B. (1997) Delinquency and antisocial behavior: A review of family processes and intervention research. Social Service Review, 71, 382–420.
Smith, C.A. and Thornberry, T.P. (1995) The relationship between childhood maltreatment and adolescent involvement in delinquency. Criminology, 33, 451–481.
Smith, P.K. and Sharp, S. (1994) School bullying: Insights and perspectives. London: Routledge.
Szatmari, P., Boyle, M.H. and Offord, D.R. (1993) Familial aggregation of emotional and behavioral problems of childhood in the general population. American Journal of Psychiatry, 150, 1398–1403.
Tobler, N.S., Lessard, T., Marshall, D., Ochshorn, P. and Roona, M. (1999) Effectiveness of school-based drug prevention programs for marijuana use. School Psychology International, 20, 105–137.
Tremblay, R.E., Pagani-Kurtz, L., Vitaro, F., Masse, L.C. and Pihl, R. D. (1995) A bimodal preventive intervention for disruptive kindergarten boys: Its impact through mid-adolescence. Journey of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 63, 560–568.
Velez, C.N., Johnson, J. and Cohen, P. (1989) A longitudinal analysis of selected risk factors for childhood psychopathology. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 28, 861–864.
Wadsworth, M. (1979) Roots of delinquency. London: Martin Robertson.
Wasserman, G.A. and Miller, L.S. (1998) The prevention of serious and violent juvenile offending. In R. Loeber and D.P. Farrington (Eds.) Serious and violent juvenile offenders: Risk factors and successful interventions (pp. 197–247). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Wells, L.E. and Rankin, J.H. (1991) Families and delinquency: A meta-analysis of the impact of broken homes. Social Problems, 38, 71–93.
West, D.J. and Farrington, D.P. (1973) Who becomes delinquent? London: Heinemann.
Widom, C.S. (1989) The cycle of violence. Science, 244, 160–166.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2004 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Farrington, D.P., Welsh, B.C. (2004). Prevention and Early Detection of Conduct Disorder and Delinquency. In: Remschmidt, H., Belfer, M.L., Goodyer, I. (eds) Facilitating Pathways. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-18611-0_21
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-18611-0_21
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-62197-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-18611-0
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive