problems, maltreatment, imitation of “adult” behavior), and are likely mediated by epigenetic changes. A major growth in risk, corresponding to a shift of the population liability distribution to the right, occurs during the peripubertal period and is strongly associated with disruptive behavior disorders. This association has been theorized by us and others to result from the common mechanisms related to deviations in neurologic maturation (Bauer and Hesselbrock, 2003; Mezzacappa et al., 1999; Tarter et al., 1999).
