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The Relationship of Impulsivity-Inattention and Verbal Ability to Overt and Covert Antisocial Behaviors in Children

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Abstract

Research has linked many risk factors in childhood and early adolescence to antisocial behaviors in later adolescence and early adulthood; however, less attention has focused on the interaction among factors in the prediction of distinct forms of antisocial behaviors. This study investigated the additive and synergistic association of inattention-impulsivity and verbal ability with overt and covert antisocial behaviors using a high risk community sample of 270 (49.8% female) children. Multiple regression analyses indicated kindergarten inattention-impulsivity was significantly related to overt and covert antisocial behaviors and the interaction of inattention-impulsivity and verbal ability significantly predicted covert but not overt antisocial behaviors during kindergarten and first grade. Kindergarten verbal ability did not buffer the association of impulsivity-inattention with covert antisocial behavior; rather higher verbal ability was associated with increased risk for covert antisocial behavior in the presence of high levels of impulsivity-inattention. The association of inattention-impulsivity with higher levels of overt and covert antisocial behavior begins during childhood, and may set off developmental trajectories associated with the acceleration of antisocial behavior in adolescence.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Mind Research Network, Albuquerque, NM, USA

    Amber D. McEachern

  2. Department of Psychology, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS, USA

    James Snyder

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  1. Amber D. McEachern
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  2. James Snyder
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Correspondence to Amber D. McEachern.

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McEachern, A.D., Snyder, J. The Relationship of Impulsivity-Inattention and Verbal Ability to Overt and Covert Antisocial Behaviors in Children. J Youth Adolescence 41, 984–994 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-011-9710-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-011-9710-2

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