Citation

Loeber R, Burke JD. J. Res. Adolesc. 2011; 21(1): 34-46.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1532-7795.2010.00713.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article summarizes the empirical studies showing pathways in the development of externalizing and delinquent behaviors. Pathways are defined as the orderly temporal development between more than two problem behaviors. The paper addresses the following questions: (1) What are the developmental pathways between different diagnoses of Disruptive Behavior Disorders, including Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Conduct Disorder (CD), and Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD)? (2) What is a parsimonious model of pathways in externalizing problems that incorporates psychiatric symptoms of Disruptive Behaviors Disorders, other externalizing behaviors, and delinquent acts? And do the data best fit a single or multiple pathways? (3) Which pathways have been documented from externalizing to internalizing behaviors? (4) What are the limitations of past studies and what are the prospects of future studies on developmental pathways? Implications are discussed of the findings for assessments and interventions.