using/misusing alcohol [40, 41]. It is this alcohol misuse that likely leads to the development of alcohol problems. Finally, although some studies found evidence for a unique, albeit weak, effect of sensation seeking on conduct problems [35, 36, 38, 39], the lack of such an association in our study might reflect the fact that impulsivity is simply a more salient pathway to conduct problems than sensation seeking. It is impressive that impulsivity and sensation seeking predicted change in externalizing problems over 18 months given the high stability in externalizing problems across T1 and T2. This suggests that impulsivity and sensation seeking precede these problem behaviors, consistent with the vulnerability, or predisposition model of personality/temperament [64]. This model posits that personality traits represent a predisposition to experience certain problem behaviors.
