Delinquent and aggressive behaviors in early-adopted adolescents: Longitudinal predictions from child temperament and maternal sensitivity

Background160 early-adopted children were followed from infancy to adolescence. Central question was whether early and concurrent parenting and child temperament predicted adolescent delinquent and aggressive behaviors.MethodsStructural equation modeling was used to test the relations between early and concurrent observed maternal sensitivity, mother reported effortful control and teacher reported delinquent and aggressive behaviors.ResultsThis longitudinal adoption study showed that lower effortful control, concurrent as well as 7 years earlier, predicted higher levels of delinquency in adolescence and aggression in middle childhood and in adolescence. Lower levels of effortful control in infancy predicted higher levels of maternal sensitivity in adolescence which in its turn predicted less adolescent delinquent behavior.ConclusionsThe findings suggest that effortful control is an important predictor of both aggressive and delinquent behaviors. Maternal sensitivity also plays a role in the development of delinquent behavior, buffering a lack of effortful control, but is not related to aggression at age 14. It is important to note that these relations were found in a sample of parents and their genetically unrelated adopted children.

► Low effortful control predicts externalizing problems in (adopted) adolescents.
► Less effortful control in infancy predicts more parental sensitivity in adolescence.
► Sensitive parenting may lower the risk of delinquency for (adopted) adolescents.