Childhood-limited versus persistent antisocial behavior: Why do some recover and others do not?

Possible differences between childhood-limited antisocial youths and their stable high counterparts were examined. Children were 11 years old at T1 and 13.5 at T2. At both waves the same self-, parent, and teacher reports of antisocial behavior were used. Stable highs and childhood-limited antisocial youths differed somewhat in family and individual background. Stable highs had less effortful control, perceived more overprotection, had a higher level of familial vulnerability to externalizing disorder, and lived less often with the same parents throughout their lives than the childhood-limited group. Both groups had similar levels of service use before T1, but after that period the childhood-limited youths received more help from special education needs services than from problem behavior services; and vice versa for stable highs. The results suggest that the childhood-limited antisocial youths recovered not only from antisocial behavior, but also from academic failure, peer rejection, and internalizing problems.