Factors predicting continued violence into young adulthood

The delinquent behaviour of a sample of 150 Dutch adolescent to young adult juveniles was examined. These juveniles were arrested because of status offences and delinquency. Arrested adolescent juveniles reported more delinquent behaviour than adolescents in the normal youth population. At the onset of adulthood the number of previously arrested youth reporting serious delinquent behaviour had substantially dropped. This developmental pattern is comparable to the pattern found in the general population of normal adolescents. It suggests that the delinquency of many arrested juveniles is largely adolescence-limited, similar to the delinquency of normal youth. However, about one-third of the arrested juveniles continued to engage in delinquent behaviour into young adulthood. A longitudinal analysis of factors predicting continued violence into adulthood revealed that serious delinquency during adolescence, as well as increased parental control and decreased parental support, were associated with increased delinquency in early adulthood.