In the current study, we had the opportunity to examine whether there are developmentally specific aspects of behavioral disinhibition. We assessed the individual components of behavioral disinhibition in our twin sample at two critical points in adolescent development: near the onset of adolescence (age 12), a period of change when behavioral problems often rapidly emerge, and near the end of adolescence (age 17), when many youths are generally through the period of greatest risk for the development of these problems. Using these longitudinal data, we asked the following question that has not been addressed in previous studies: What are the similarities and differences in (a) the structure (i.e., the pattern of loadings on individual components of disinhibitory psychopathology and personality) and (b) the etiology (i.e., the genetic and environmental architecture) of behavioral disinhibition at two important points in adolescent development?
