Extremity of Externalizing Behavior and Young Adult Outcomes

Data from the National Child Development Study were used to explore the relationship between extremity of externalizing behavior problems during childhood and employment-related outcomes in young adulthood. Analyses focused on four heuristic dimensions of extremity (age at onset, density, persistence, and pervasiveness) and three outcomes (school-leaving age, level of qualifications at labor force entry, and social class of job al age 23). Persistence was associated with the most substantial deficits across all outcomes, and temporal proximity was more influential than early onset. The data suggest that school-based and home-based situational behavior problems should not be combined into a single nonpervasive category.