| Longitudinal studies around the world have shown that children's problem behavior is one of the best predictors of delinquency and substance in adolescents. Efforts to examine specific types of problem behaviors have suggested different trajectories leading to subtypes of delinquency, examine adolescent antisocial behavior through the concepts of onset and persistence and underlined the importance of comorbid conditions, including substance use/abuse. The present study aimed at examining developmental trajectories related environmental factors leading to different types Of delinquency, wit and without substance use, and to the persistence of these problems through adolesence in boys of low SES families. Subjects were 1037 boys part of an ongoing longitudinal study in Montreal, Canada. The boys were assessed year from kindergarten to age 17 on a variety of behavioral and environmental dimensions. Results are presented in terms of developmental trajectories an examine the influence of contextual factors on the course of behavior over time. The implications of-the findings for prevention and treatment are discussed.
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Updated 05/20/2006