Gillmore M R, Hawkins J D, Catalano R F, Day L E, Moore M, Abbott R
Social Development Research Group, University of Washington, School of Social Work, Seattle 98103.
J Consult Clin Psychol. 1991 Aug;59(4):499-506. doi: 10.1037//0022-006x.59.4.499.
Earlier research suggests that diverse adolescent problem behaviors, such as substance use, school problems, early sexual intercourse, and delinquency, reflect a single underlying dimension of behavior. Data from an ongoing longitudinal study were used to examine this issue in a previously unexamined sample (N = 426) of preadolescent sixth-grade youth. Ss included boys and girls from diverse socioeconomic and racial/ethnic backgrounds, whose average ages were 11 and 12. By using confirmatory factor analyses to test competing models, multiple factor structures were detected, suggesting that earlier findings supporting a single factor conceptualization may not be generalizable to this age group. Implications of the finding that problem behaviors may be more differentiated in late childhood than in adolescence are discussed.
