Delinquency and deviance proneness are two other related traits identified as risk factors for AUDs (Donovan & Jessor, 1985). Among youth, alcohol use has been viewed as a manifestation of a larger spectrum of problem behaviors (Hawkins et al., 1992). Further, delinquent and aggressive behaviors often manifest as externalizing disorders (e.g., conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder), and in turn, are associated with increased risk for developing an AUD (Vaillant, 1983). However, controversy exists regarding gender differences and the conceptualization of conduct problems. Some suggest including measures of relational aggression in order to avoid underestimating aggressive tendencies in young girls (Crick, 1996). Even with consideration of the higher prevalence rate of deviant behavior and conduct disorder among male adolescents compared to female adolescents, Moffitt, Caspi, Rutter, and Silva (2001) found similar results across genders. A diagnosis of conduct disorder during adolescence was predictive of alcohol dependence at age 21 for both boys and girls. In sum, boys may be at increased risk for exhibiting behavioral problems indicative of deviant personality traits or disorder, but the relationship that these characteristics have with alcohol use onset and later progression to dependence appears to operate similarly across gender.
