Use of Risk Factors Proposed by Developmental Pathways of Antisocial Behavior in Predicting Program Drop-Out

• NCJ Number: 229339
• Journal: Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice Volume: 51 Issue: 4 Dated: October 2009 Pages: 511-536
• Author(s): Marina Rachitskiy; Ralph Serin; G. Tendayi Viki
• Date Published: October 2009
• Length: 26 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: Canada

Annotation

This archival study examined the use of risk factors proposed by certain theories of development pathways for antisocial behavior, i.e., Moffitt (1993) and Loeber (1985), in predicting program drop-out at a treatment facility for youths who exhibited serious behavioral difficulties.

Abstract

Moffitt's and Loeber's theories, which are complementary, can be summarized into seven risk factors for persistent antisocial behavior in youths. These factors have been widely tested and are accepted as good predictors of the persistence of antisocial behavior among youth. Specifically, research supports the following factors in pathways of antisocial behavior: early age of onset (covert and overt), overtness and covertness of current behaviors, history of antisocial behavior, consistency of antisocial behavior across settings, and learning and cognitive difficulties. It is reasonable to expect that these factors will also predict misconduct within a treatment setting. In testing this theory, the current study sought to identify indirect links between the risk factors outlined by the theories and the treatment drop-out rate. The study found that both the variety of infractions within the treatment regimen and program drop-out within a residential treatment facility were significantly predicted by the developmental risk factors. Infractions, early overt behavior, current covert behavior, and cognitive/learning difficulties were the best predictors of program drop-out. Mediation analyses showed a direct relationship only between program drop-out and current covert behavior. Such analyses also showed that the variety of program infractions suppressed the relationship between program drop-out and cognitive/learning difficulties. Implications are drawn for addressing these factors in pretreatment screening as well as in the treatment objectives. The study assessed 113 youths admitted to a residential treatment center, with a focus on their infractions during treatment and 7 risk factors proposed by the 2 developmental theories. 3 tables, 45 references, and appended outline of the items used within the measures