These include serious and violent delinquency, drug use, poor school performance, mental illness, and teenage pregnancy. In addition, a history of maltreatment nearly doubles the risk that teenagers will experience multiple problems during adolescence. Less serious problem behaviors precede more serious delinquency. The development of disruptive and delinquent behavior in boys generally progresses in an orderly fashion. Individuals may proceed along single or multiple developmental pathways toward serious antisocial behavior.
Serious delinquents have many co-occurring problems.
Serious delinquents are likely to be involved in drug use, precocious sexual activity, school failure, juvenile gangs, unsupervised gun ownership, and related behaviors. Very young children are involved in serious violent behavior. Delinquency, drug use, and other problem behaviors begin at earlier ages than previously thought. A small, but substantial percentage of boys and girls is involved in serious violence even before becoming teenagers. Violence among girls has increased.