Developmental Risk Factors

Question 1

List the socio-environmental risk factors (4)

Answer 1

-Poverty
-Peer Rejection/Association with antisocial peers
-Preschool Experiences
-Academic failure

Question 2

Poverty

Answer 2

Poverty alone does not cause serious, chronic offending, however, there is a strong connection to persistent, violent offending; both the victims and offenders. About 40% of people (America?) are not living to a good standard of living.
-The nature of poverty and antisocial behaviour is not well understood, but is intertwined by a large number of influences

Question 3

Overall effects of poverty

Answer 3

-Poor nutrition
-Limited healthcare access
-Absent parents
-Lower quality of education
-Unsafe living conditions
Overall effects become cumulative and interactive effects.

Question 4

Family influences in poverty

Answer 4

-Stress might limit parents
-A higher likelihood of being in a single-parent home
-inconsistent forms of punishment
-Scheduling inconsistencies with lower paying jobs

Question 5

Children of a low SES vs Children of a higher SES

Answer 5

-Children of a low SES are more likely to be targeted by law enforcement than upper and middle class children
-Children of a low SES are more likely to be put into Juvy while higher SES children are more likely to be let go
-Children of a low SES are more likely to be thrown through the justice system and often cannot afford a lawyer.
System appears to disadvantage poor children.

Question 6

Peer Rejection

Answer 6

• One of the most important risk factors for persistent antisocial behaviour (part of big four)
• One of the strongest predictors of later involvement in antisocial behaviour is early rejection by peers

Question 7

How can peer rejection be predictive of antisocial behaviour?

Answer 7

-Peer rejection by grade one predicts antisocial behaviour by grade four
-Children who are rejected by their peers for 2-3 years by grade two have a 50% chance of developing clinically significant antisocial and delinquent behaviour compared to 9% who weren’t rejected.

Question 8

Why does peer rejection often lead to antisocial behaviour?

Answer 8

When we are unable to meet the developmental milestone of making friends and being approved by peers, negatively impacts self-esteem, may lash out, and move towards antisocial peers that may accept you.

Question 9

What causes peer rejection? (6)

Answer 9

Conduct disorder might affect peer relations
A poor parent-child relationship
- inability to communicate properly, and perhaps not socialized properly
Inadequate social skills
- particularly when behaviours break social norms like talking out of turn, poor communication skills, inability to effectively vocalize or problem-solve (ADHD)
Aggressive behaviour
- If socially skilled, can be instrumental if you when you know when or how to use it. Aggression leads to peer rejection when it is unwarranted and reactive
Impulsivity
Anger, emotional rage
ADHD

Question 10

Gender and Peer Rejection

Answer 10

-Most research on peer rejection has been focused on boys
-Predictive for males more so than females because of the utilization of reactive aggression
-Peer rejection is more predictive of substance abuse and addiction for women

Question 11

Gangs

Answer 11

-A direct result of an association with deviant peer groups
-Antisocial, peer-rejected youths seek out greater contact with similar peer-rejected and socially unskilled peers
-Drawn to deviant groups which encourages and amplifies pre-existing antisocial tendencies

Question 12

Preschool Experiences

Answer 12

An important part of child development
-Dependant on the quality of childcare
-Risk factor with multiple child-care arrangements
-Exposure to aggressive peers
-Whether or not there is after school care

Question 13

Quality of child-care

Answer 13

Has an interaction effect with poverty, poor quality care puts kids at a higher risk for poor development, particularly in language and cognitive skills

Question 14

Multiple Child-Care Arrangements

Answer 14

High inconsistency in care arrangements tends to have negative impacts on children’s social adjustments

Question 15

Why is after-school care a protective factor?

Answer 15

Supervised activities can stop children from developing antisocial tendencies in childhood
-Kids who go home to an empty house in elementary school, children are left to their own devices and are more likely to develop antisocial tendencies in adolescences and spends more time with peers unsupervised
-Prevents sexual activity, drinking, shop-lifting

Question 16

Academic Failure

Answer 16

Approximately 59-70% of people in jail haven’t graduated high school, the lower the grade that you drop out in, the higher the risk.
-Dropping out increases by 350%
As early as kindergarten behavioural problems are linked to academic failure
-Has detrimental impacts on mental health and psychological development.
-Poor reading achievement is inked to academic failure and delinquency