Early child aggressiveness is a better predictor of delinquency than either a family history of crime or a family history of alcoholism. Academic failure in the later elementary grades, also becomes a stable predictor of risk for a number of health and behavior problems. Ensuring that all children succeed academically in school inhibits risk. Conversely, a lack of commitment to school appears to be a risk factor. Early initiation is a consistent risk factor for all problem behaviors.
Some factors pose increased risk at different points during development.
The greater the number of risk factors to which one is exposed, the greater is his or her risk. A number of common risk factors during development appear to predict diverse problems. Risk factors operate similarly across ethnic groups. The exposure to risk is apparently buffered by protective factors. A combination of individual traits, social connectedness, and clear healthy standards for behavior appears to protect young people from developing health and behavior problems.