The Impact of Juvenile Sex Offending on the Adult Criminal Career

Although past studies demonstrated the heterogeneity of the criminal career patterns of juveniles with sexual offenses (JSOs), such studies did not directly assess whether JSOs have different adult offending outcomes compared with juvenile nonsex offenders. Using data on a subsample of males from the Incarcerated Serious and Violent Young Offender Study, JSOs (n = 78), juveniles with violent offenses (JVOs; n = 550), and juveniles with nonviolent offenses (JNVOs; n = 281) were compared across a variety of adult offending outcomes. JSOs were not associated with a specific trajectory of general offending in adulthood, nor were they associated with a range of adult criminal career parameters (e.g., frequency, severity, specialization, and versatility). However, a range of other indicators of juvenile offending were associated with general offending in adulthood. For juvenile males who experience incarceration, many elements of their offending history mattered for adult offending outcomes, but not sexual offending. Policy implications for treatment and management are discussed.

Developmental Trajectories of Child Sexual Behaviors on the Path of Sexual Behavioral Problems: Evidence From a Prospective Longitudinal Study

There is little information about the onset and the developmental course of child sexual behavior problems (SBPs), including sexually intrusive behaviors (SIBs). Using data from the Vancouver Longitudinal Study on the Psychosocial Development of Children, the current study examined the presence of distinct patterns of sexual development among children. A normative sample of preschoolers ( N = 354) with a small clinical subsample were followed from age 3 to 8 with repetitive measurements of sexual behaviors using a revised version of Child Sexual Behavior Inventory. Semiparametric group-based modeling identified four distinct sexual development trajectories: the very low (10.5%), the low declining (27.8%), the moderate stable (48.3%), and the high-rate increasing (13.4%). In contrast to the other developmental trajectories found, the high-rate-increasing pattern showed that sexual behaviors became increasingly extensive after school entry. Children characterized by this developmental pattern, especially boys, were more likely to be involved in SIBs after elementary school entry than those in the other groups. Findings highlight the presence of multiple developmental trajectories of sexual development with significantly different behavioral patterns after school entry.

Child and Adolescent Disposition Model: An Examination of the Temperament Factor Structure Within Early Childhood

Lahey and Waldman proposed a temperament theory of conduct disorder (CD). Critical is the hypothesized temperament structure in which three relatively uncorrelated temperament dimensions (i.e., negative emotionality, daring, prosociality) central to CD are theorized to emerge in early childhood. The validity of this hypothesized factor structure in early childhood is unknown. The current study seeks to fill this gap by examining Lahey and Waldman's hypothesized temperament structure utilizing a Canadian sample ( n = 283) of preschoolers. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) were performed to compare the hypothesized relatively uncorrelated temperament structure with two alternative models (i.e., correlated three-factor and single-factor structure). The CFA indicated that the temperament dimensions are present in early childhood and are relatively uncorrelated consistent with previous work at later developmental stages. Of importance, the findings highlighted key gender differences observable at 3 and 4 years of age. The theoretical implications are discussed.

Gender differences in physical aggression and associated developmental correlates in a sample of Canadian preschoolers

Recent studies have indicated that gender differences in children's aggressive behavior emerge during the preschool years and that these differences are relatively stable during childhood. The current study assesses whether these gender differences can be observed when a multidimensional measure of aggression from the ongoing Vancouver Longitudinal Study on the psychosocial development of children is utilized. Specifically, the level of physical aggression (PA) in three cohorts of children (aged three, four, and five years) from the initial 338 families in the Wave I data recruited for this study was analyzed using a series of constrained and unconstrained latent class models. Three latent classes of physically aggressive children were identified (low, moderate, and high level), with boys being over-represented in the highly aggressive group and being five times more likely than girls to show high levels of aggression. No age effects were detected, suggesting gender differences from the age of three years onward. The correlates of PA were similar for both boys and girls. Particularly important, a small subgroup of highly aggressive boys emerged from the study showing a clinical profile similar to Moffitt's life-course-persistent antisocial pattern. Such a group was not identified for girls.

Female juvenile delinquency, motherhood, and the intergenerational transmission of aggression and antisocial behavior

The current study explored the intergenerational transmission of aggression and antisocial behavior by examining mothers' juvenile delinquency, their pregnancies, and its impact on their children's aggressive behavior. The sample consisted of the first 181 biological mothers recruited as part of the Vancouver Longitudinal Study on the Psychosocial Development of Children (British Columbia, Canada). Results indicated that mothers who were juvenile delinquents were more likely to experience social adversity, to use substances during pregnancy and to offend in adulthood. Furthermore, mothers who reported juvenile delinquency had children who were more physically aggressive and had an earlier onset of physical aggression. This pattern of association held when controlling for sociodemographics, social adversities, prenatal substance exposure, and criminal involvement in adulthood. The study findings highlighted the importance of understanding the role and impact of female delinquency and motherhood on the intergenerational transmission of antisocial behavior.

Phencyclidine--states of acute intoxication and fatalities

Phencyclidine is now one of the most frequently used main ingredients of "street drug" preparations. Its effects are highly dose dependent and three varieties of acute intoxication have been seen clinically associated with different dosages and routes of administration. Most persons using phencyclidine smoke it sprinkled on parsley in low doses. The presence of horizontal and vertical nystagmus associated with hypertension in a patient who is agitated or comatose are diagnostic of a phencyclidine intoxicated state. Sensory isolation and intravenous administration of diazepam in the event of seizure activity have proved effective in the treatment of acute intoxicated states. Phencyclidine has pronounced behavioral toxicity and several deaths due to this agent have now been documented. It is unknown whether seizure activity or respiratory depression is the primary cause of death in pharmacological overdoses.