Childhood predictors of adult criminality: are all risk factors reflected in childhood XXXX ?

@entity1 @entity146
BACKGROUND: Early @entity146 behaviour is one of the best predictors of adult criminality. AIM: To assess the degree to which family background variables, parental beliefs and behaviour and @entity1 intelligence predict @entity1 @entity146 and adult criminality. METHOD: Data were used from the Colombia County Longitudinal Study, a longitudinal study of 856 @entity1 in third grade in New York, in 1959-60. Adult measures of criminal behaviour, @entity1 measures taken at age eight, @entity1 peer-nominated @entity146 , @entity1 's peer-nominated popularity, @entity1 's IQ and parental measures at eight years were used. RESULTS: Aggressive @entity1 were less intelligent, less popular, rejected more by their parents, had parents who believed in punishment, were less identified with their parents' self-image and were less likely to express guilt. As adults, more @entity146 @entity1 with parents who were less well educated, experienced more marital disharmony and who seldom attended church were most at risk for arrest. However, after the effect of @entity146 was controlled, most effects disappeared and only parents having a strong belief in punishment added significantly to risk of arrest by age 30; the only fact that then reduced the risk of arrest was having parents who attended church often. Both parental authoritarianism and @entity1 IQ reduced the risk of conviction for arrested @entity1 . DISCUSSION: Level of @entity146 at age eight is the best predictor of criminal events over the next 22 years. A clear implication is that the risk for criminality is affected by much that happens to a @entity1 before he is eight years old. Preventive interventions need to target risk factors that appear to influence the development of @entity146 .
