Predicting the persistence of aggressive offending of African American males from adolescence into young adulthood: The importance of peer relations, aggressive behavior, and ADHD symptoms

Abstract

This study examined the predictors of aggressive offending that persisted from adolescence into young adulthood in an initial sample of 622 African American youth who were interviewed every 2 years between the ages of 12 and 22. Participants were classified as persistent aggressive offenders (n = 27) if they reported committing a felony assault during adolescence and young adulthood; as adolescent-only aggressive offenders (n = 65) if they reported a felony assault during adolescence but not during young adulthood; and as never aggressive ( n = 102) if they never reported a felony assault. (Participants with missing data who could not be accurately classified were excluded from the sample.) Compared to aggressive offenders, persistent aggressive offenders were more likely to be male and to have been rejected by peers in late childhood.They also reported more attentiondeficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in late childhood.Compared to participants who never reported an aggressive offense,adolescent-only aggressive offenders were rated as more aggressive by peers and reported more ADHD symptoms but were not more likely to have been rejected.