Linked lives: Antisocial behaviour across three generations

Antisocial behaviour involves about 10% of children and/or adolescents. It has a substantial impact on many life outcomes including education, employment, family life and offending. The costs of providing services to an antisocial child are 10 times higher than other children. Antisocial offspring are often children of antisocial parents and grandparents.

This study aims to assess antisocial behaviour transmitted across three generations, to document the predictors of this intergenerational transmission and to describe how antisocial behaviour is changing over generations. It will provide data to enable a more focussed delivery of services to antisocial families.

This will be the first Australian - and one of the only studies internationally - to study the consequences of being a child in a family with a history of antisocial behaviour. In addition to contributing new findings (research papers) based upon intergenerational transmission this study will enable a better targeting of policies. If offending is intergenerational, then more broadly based programs which begin earlier in the family antisocial behaviour cycle will be needed.

Project Leader: Professor Jakob Najman (The University of Queensland)

Project Team: Dr Tara McGee (Griffith University), Professor Jakob Najman (The University of Queensland) , Emeritus Professor David Farrington (University of Cambridge), Professor Gail Williams (The University of Queensland), Assistant Professor Alexandra Clavarino (The University of Queensland), Associate Professor Abdullah Mamun (The University of Queensland), Associate Professor Rosa Alati (The University of Queensland)

Type of Funding: Australian Research Council Discovery Projects

Dates: 2015 - 2016

Theme(s): Developmental Life Course Criminology and Prevention Science