Anti-social behaviour can affect wellbeing, trust and qualifications – research
The study is being launched at the Growing Up in Ireland annual research conference.
Anti-social behaviour in adolescence has consequences for wellbeing, trust in others and educational qualifications in early adulthood, research has found.
Comparing 13-year-olds born a decade apart also shows anti-social behaviour has remained stable for boys but has increased for girls.
The research has been published by the ESRI and produced in partnership with the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, and is being launched at the Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) annual research conference.
It uses GUI data to trace involvement in anti-social behaviour from the age of 13 to 17, identifying the individual, family, school and neighbourhood factors that contribute to anti-social behaviour and contact with the justice system.
Anti-social behaviour (ASB) includes a range of behaviours from graffiti to physical violence.
Around a fifth of 13-year-olds have taken something from home without permission in the past year, while around a 10th have paid the incorrect bus or train fare, behaved badly in public or taken something from school.
A fifth have hit, punched or kicked another person, the research found.
Rates of anti-social behaviour do not vary by parental education, family social class or experience of financial strain.
Levels tend to be higher among young people from lone-parent families, those with more older siblings and those who had more conflict with their mother.
School factors do not play a very important role, but levels of non-violent ASB are higher in fee-paying schools.
Living in a city and in a disorderly neighbourhood are linked to both violent and non-violent ASB, the search found, while socialising with older peers is also associated with more involvement in ASB.
ASB is strongly related to earlier socioemotional difficulties, conduct or hyperactivity problems, and to mental health issues, including depression and hearing voices in adolescence.
The strongest driver of increasing anti-social behaviour is exposure to adverse childhood experiences such as bereavement, separation or family mental health issues between 13 and 17 years of age.
A significant minority of young people have had some contact with the justice system, with over a fifth reporting having been stopped and questioned by police between the ages of 17 and 20.
ASB involvement at age 13 heightens the likelihood of early contact with the criminal justice system.
The research found that even taking account of levels of anti-social behaviour, working-class young men are more likely to have contact with the criminal justice system, with sibling contact with the police also emerging as a significant risk factor.
The vast majority (91%) of young people maintain no or only low levels of ASB between 13 and 17; for 4%, ASB is limited to their early teens’ while for 5%, ASB persists and even increases as they grow older. These groups differ significantly in their outcomes in early adulthood.
Young people who increased their ASB involvement between 13 and 17 received lower Leaving Certificate grades and were much less likely to achieve a degree by age 25.
Young people who had early justice contact received lower Leaving Certificate grades, even where their ASB levels had declined since age 13.
At age 20, higher depression scores, lower life satisfaction, lower satisfaction with their social life and lower levels of trust in others were found among those who increased their ASB involvement between 13 and 17, though these effects diminished by age 25.
Emer Smyth, co-author of the report, said: “The study findings point to the significant impact of anti-social behaviour and resulting contact with the criminal justice system on education, wellbeing, health and bonds with others, incurring a cost not only for the individual but for broader society.
“The results point to the need to further enhance a joined-up approach across Government departments, State agencies and community organisations to address anti-social behaviour and its consequences.”
Merike Darmody, another co-author of the report, said: “The role of externalising difficulties in childhood along with mental health difficulties in adolescence in anti-social behaviour highlights the need for improved access to a range of supports, from mental health promotion to specialist support for those with acute difficulties.”