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Understanding the Association between Parent and Child Antisocial Behavior

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Abstract

Understanding the causes of antisocial and criminal behavior has long been a major focus of social science research. There are many reasons for this focus. First, the most severe patterns of antisocial behavior often emerge early in life and show fairly substantial continuity across the lifespan (Frick & Loney, 1999). Second, antisocial individuals operate at quite a high cost to society, both in terms of monetary costs, such as the costs of incarceration, and in terms of social costs, such as reduced quality of life for victims of antisocial acts and other persons living in crime-prone areas (Zigler, Taussig, & Black, 1992). Third, partly because of the disruptions they cause to others around them and partly due to the pervasive problems in adjustment these individuals often have, they make up a substantial number of referrals to mental health clinics, especially those clinics serving children (Frick, 1998a).

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Frick, P.J., Loney, B.R. (2002). Understanding the Association between Parent and Child Antisocial Behavior. In: McMahon, R.J., Peters, R.D. (eds) The Effects of Parental Dysfunction on Children. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1739-9_6

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