Pathways to honesty: Exploring the ecological desistance of atypical lying features

Atypical lying (i.e., dishonesty that is excessive, impulsive, for fun, or lacks clear motive) may signal broader developmental risks. This study examined whether baseline levels and changes in parenting, peer, and individual factors were associated with trajectories of atypical lying from ages 14 to 26. Data from 1354 participants (86.41% male; baseline M_age = 16.04; 41.5% Black, 33.5% Hispanic, 20.2% White, 4.8% Other) in the Pathways to Desistance study were analyzed. Results indicate that higher risk (parental hostility, antisocial peer influence, and perceived thrill of crime) and lower protective factors (parental warmth, resistance to peer influence, and psychosocial maturity) were associated with more persistently atypical lying scores. Notably, we highlight which factors are most strongly related to the growth of atypical lying and ways to target them through programs aimed to promote honesty. Overall, our findings underscore the role of early contexts and developmental synchrony in atypical lying.