Attention and Behavior Problems in Childhood Predict Adult Financial Status, Health, and Criminal Activity: A Conceptual Replication and Extension of Moffitt et al. (2011) Using Cohorts from the United States and the United Kingdom
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| Title: | Attention and Behavior Problems in Childhood Predict Adult Financial Status, Health, and Criminal Activity: A Conceptual Replication and Extension of Moffitt et al. (2011) Using Cohorts from the United States and the United Kingdom |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Koepp, Andrew E. (ORCID |
| Source: | Developmental Psychology. Aug 2023 59(8):1389-1406. |
| Availability: | American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 18 |
| Publication Date: | 2023 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | National Science Foundation (NSF) Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (DHHS/NIH) |
| Contract Number: | 1519686 P2CH042849 T32HD007081 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Foreign Countries, Behavior Problems, Attention Deficit Disorders, Child Behavior, Predictor Variables, Adults, Health, Crime, Income, Correlation, Educational Attainment, Institutionalized Persons, Correctional Institutions, Employment, Family Environment, Achievement, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Self Control, Individual Characteristics, Gender Differences, Racial Differences, Ethnicity, Intelligence Quotient, Socioeconomic Status, Money Management, Employment Level, Children, Substance Abuse |
| Geographic Terms: | United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand |
| Assessment and Survey Identifiers: | Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test |
| DOI: | 10.1037/dev0001533 |
| ISSN: | 0012-1649 1939-0599 |
| Abstract: | This study is a conceptual replication of a widely cited study by Moffitt et al. (2011) which found that attention and behavior problems in childhood (a composite of impulsive hyperactive, inattentive, and impulsive-aggressive behaviors labeled "self-control") predicted adult financial status, health, and criminal activity. Using data from longitudinal cohort studies in the United States (n = 1,168) and the United Kingdom (n = 16,506), we largely reproduced their pattern of findings that attention and behavior problems measured across the course of childhood predicted a range of adult outcomes including educational attainment ([beta][subscript U.S.] = -0.22, [beta][subscript U.K.] = -0.13) and spending time in jail (OR[subscript U.S.] = 1.74, OR[subscript U.K.] = 1.48). We found that associations with outcomes in education, work, and finances diminished in the presence of additional covariates for children's home environment and achievement but associations for other outcomes were more robust. We also found that attention and behavior problems across distinct periods of childhood were associated with adult outcomes. Specific attention and behavior problems showed some differences in predicting outcomes in the U.S. cohort, with attention problems predicting lower educational attainment and hyperactivity/impulsivity predicting ever spending time in jail. Together with the findings from Moffitt et al., our study makes clear that childhood attention and behavior problems are associated with a range of outcomes in adulthood for cohorts born in the 1950s, 1970s, and 1990s across three countries. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2023 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1386084 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | This study is a conceptual replication of a widely cited study by Moffitt et al. (2011) which found that attention and behavior problems in childhood (a composite of impulsive hyperactive, inattentive, and impulsive-aggressive behaviors labeled "self-control") predicted adult financial status, health, and criminal activity. Using data from longitudinal cohort studies in the United States (n = 1,168) and the United Kingdom (n = 16,506), we largely reproduced their pattern of findings that attention and behavior problems measured across the course of childhood predicted a range of adult outcomes including educational attainment ([beta][subscript U.S.] = -0.22, [beta][subscript U.K.] = -0.13) and spending time in jail (OR[subscript U.S.] = 1.74, OR[subscript U.K.] = 1.48). We found that associations with outcomes in education, work, and finances diminished in the presence of additional covariates for children's home environment and achievement but associations for other outcomes were more robust. We also found that attention and behavior problems across distinct periods of childhood were associated with adult outcomes. Specific attention and behavior problems showed some differences in predicting outcomes in the U.S. cohort, with attention problems predicting lower educational attainment and hyperactivity/impulsivity predicting ever spending time in jail. Together with the findings from Moffitt et al., our study makes clear that childhood attention and behavior problems are associated with a range of outcomes in adulthood for cohorts born in the 1950s, 1970s, and 1990s across three countries. |
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| ISSN: | 0012-1649 1939-0599 |
| DOI: | 10.1037/dev0001533 |
