Neuropsychological Deficit and Self-Reported Delinquency in an Unselected Birth Cohort

Abstract

The Self-Report Early Delinquency instrument and a research battery of neuropsychological tests were administered blindly to a large unselected cohort of 13-year-old male and female subjects. Findings were cross-validated using split halves of the cohort. A pattern of verbal, visuospatial-motor integration, and memory deficits contributed variance to delinquency beyond that explained by social disadvantage, suggesting that some patterns of cognitive deficit may be associated with delinquent behavior. The significance of such a finding in a young cohort, not yet actively involved in or influenced by a life of delinquency, is discussed. © 1988, The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. All rights reserved.