In addition to their direct effects on child functioning, early aggression and self-regulatory deficits may undermine adaptive socialization in later childhood, fostering peer rejection, conflicts with teachers, and school disengagement, thereby increasing risk for multi-problem behavioral profiles at the transition into adolescence (Kotchick et al. 2001). Consistent with this model, prior analyses of youth in the Fast Track control group found that aggression and inattention at school entry increased risk for school maladjustment, antisocial activity, and substance use in middle school which, in turn, mediated the early initiation of sexual activity (Schofield et al. 2008). Specific risk factors linked with early sexual activity may include association with peers who exhibit deviant and risk-taking behavior (Capaldi et al. 1996; Raffaelli and Crockett 2003), depressed mood (DiClemente et al. 2001; Hipwell et al. 2010), and school problems (Schofield et al. 2008). In addition, the timing of puberty has been implicated as a risk factor for early sexual debut in some studies (Gowen et al. 2004).
