Problem behavior theory suggests that early-starting aggressive behaviors reflect both an alienated stance toward adult authority and poor self-regulation skills. When youth enter adolescence and achieve greater autonomy, these tendencies support the initiation of a range of rule-breaking behaviors, promoting tri-morbid risks of antisocial behavior, substance use, and risky sexual activity (Brendgen et al. 2007; Hipwell et al. 2010; Zweig et al. 2001). Indeed, longitudinal research has documented that, along with childhood aggression, childhood impulsivity and self-regulation deficits predict risky sexual activity in adolescence, including early sexual debut, multiple partners, and sex without condoms (Crockett et al. 2006; Zimmer-Gembeck et al. 2004). Early child risk characteristics (impulsivity, aggression, inattention) appear most problematic in contexts in which positive socialization supports are compromised, particularly in the adverse contexts faced by socio-economically distressed families (Rose et al. 2005), and when parents are emotionally detached or uninvolved (Hipwell et al. 2010; Raffaelli and Crockett 2003).
