Antisocial behaviour in adolescence has consequences for wellbeing, trust in others and educational qualifications in early adulthood

New research, published by the ESRI and produced in partnership with the Department of Children, Disability and Equality (DCDE), finds that antisocial behaviour in adolescence has consequences for wellbeing, trust in others and educational qualifications in early adulthood. Comparing 13-year-olds born a decade apart also shows that antisocial behaviour has remained stable for boys but has increased for girls. The research, being launched at the Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) Annual Research Conference, uses GUI data to trace involvement in antisocial behaviour from 13 to 17 years of age, identifying the individual, family, school and neighbourhood factors that contribute to antisocial behaviour and contact with the justice system.

Key findings:

How common is antisocial behaviour?

• Antisocial behaviour (ASB) includes a range of behaviours from graffiti to physical violence.

• Around a fifth of 13-year-olds have taken something from home without permission in the past year while around a tenth have paid the incorrect bus/train fare, behaved badly in public or taken something from school. A fifth have hit, punched or kicked another person.

What factors make a difference to antisocial behaviour?

• Rates of antisocial behaviour do not vary by parental education, family social class or experience of financial strain.

• Levels tend to be higher among young people from lone-parent families, those with more older siblings and those who had more conflict with their mother.

• School factors do not play a very important role, but levels of non-violent ASB are higher in fee-paying schools.

• Living in a city and in a disorderly neighbourhood are linked to both violent and non-violent ASB. Socialising with older peers is also associated with more involvement in ASB.

• ASB is strongly related to earlier socioemotional difficulties (conduct or hyperactivity problems) and to mental health issues (including depression and hearing voices) in adolescence.

• The strongest driver of increasing antisocial behaviour is exposure to adverse childhood experiences (such as bereavement, separation or family mental health issues) between 13 and 17 years of age.

What influences contact with the criminal justice system?

• A significant minority of young people have had some contact with the justice system, with over a fifth reporting having been stopped and questioned by police between the ages of 17 and 20 years.

• ASB involvement at age 13 heightens the likelihood of early contact with the criminal justice system.

• Even taking account of levels of antisocial behaviour, working-class young men are more likely to have contact with the criminal justice system, with sibling contact with the police also emerging as a significant risk factor.

What are the consequences of antisocial behaviour and contact with the criminal justice system?

• The vast majority (91 per cent) of young people maintain no or only low levels of ASB between 13 and 17 years of age; for 4 per cent, ASB is limited to their early teens while for 5 per cent, ASB persists and even increases as they grow older. These groups differ significantly in their outcomes in early adulthood.

• Young people who increased their ASB involvement between 13 and 17 received lower Leaving Certificate grades and were much less likely to achieve a degree by age 25. Young people who had early justice contact received lower Leaving Certificate grades, even where their ASB levels had declined since age 13.

• At age 20, higher depression scores, lower life satisfaction, lower satisfaction with their social life and lower levels of trust in others are found among those who increased their ASB involvement between 13 and 17, though these effects diminish by age 25.

• Trust in others at ages 20 and 25 is found to be lower among those who had early contact with the justice system.

Has antisocial behaviour increased over time?

• Comparing 13-year-olds born a decade apart, levels of antisocial behaviour among boys have remained stable, though with a slight decline during the period of pandemic-related restrictions in 2020.

• There has been an increase over time in non-violent and violent antisocial behaviour among girls. For example, the proportion of 13-year-old girls who reported hitting, punching or kicking someone over the past year increased from 10 to 16 per cent over a decade. This pattern appears to relate to greater mental health difficulties among girls, in terms of depression, hearing voices and externalising behaviour.

Emer Smyth, co-author of the report, said: ‘The study findings point to the significant impact of antisocial behaviour and resulting contact with the criminal justice system on education, wellbeing, health and bonds with others, incurring a cost not only for the individual but for broader society. The results point to the need to further enhance a joined-up approach across government departments, State agencies and community organisations to address antisocial behaviour and its consequences.’

Merike Darmody, co-author of the report, said: ‘The role of externalising difficulties in childhood along with mental health difficulties in adolescence in antisocial behaviour highlights the need for improved access to a range of supports, from mental health promotion to specialist support for those with acute difficulties.’