Home > Science Seminar > Fall 2006 Seminar Schedule > Adolescents and Development

The Science Seminar Series: November 30, 2006 4pm

Adolescents and Development: Is Some Delinquency Healthy?

Dr. Sarah Bacon, College of Criminology & Criminal Justice
Florida State University

 
Powell Hall

 Time: 4:00 - 5:00pm

 

Abstract

While some level of experimentation with delinquency and drug use characterizes adolescence for most individuals, research consistently identifies a small group of individuals who refrain from these behaviors entirely. In her developmental taxonomy, Moffitt refers to this small group as abstainers, and posits that the personal and structural antecedents of their non-normative behavior may, in fact, be maladaptive. The current research seeks to not only test Moffitt’s hypothesis that abstainers are maladaptive in childhood and adolescence using a full array of antecedents (i.e. structural characteristics, personal characteristics, early puberty), but also extend this research into an investigation of the consequences of abstention. Prevention strategies assume that abstention from delinquency and drug use should diminish the likelihood of negative adulthood outcomes. Counter to this argument, however, is the proposition that experimentation with delinquency and drug use in adolescence is a healthy part of development, necessary for a smooth transition to a prosocial adulthood. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) we will assess the relationships among childhood antecedents of abstention, the adolescent period of abstention itself, and the adult consequences for abstainers with respect to their physical and mental health, family formation and social integration, educational attainment, employment stability and advancement, and economic resources. Of particular interest is whether abstention itself makes an individual more prone to maladaptive outcomes, above and beyond individual differences. Based on the findings, the theoretical and policy implications of the results will be assessed.