MONTREAL, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Preteens who steal, destroy property, fight and bully are more likely to sell drugs, join a gang, carry a weapon or get arrested, Canadian researchers say.
Principle author Eric Lacourse of the Universite de Montreal said the study examined three groups of 12- and 13-year-old youths for two years -- 4,125 test-subjects classified by precise symptoms of conduct disorders.
"Children with conduct disorders who are not violent are also more likely to adopt serious delinquent behaviors as teenagers," Lacourse said in a statement. "More specifically, this group is three times as likely to sell illicit drugs, four times as likely to join a gang, and three times as likely to mug someone using a weapon."
The study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry said at ages 12 and 13, the behaviors that lead to delinquency are well documented, but intervention programs are mostly targeted to younger children and very little help is available for preteens.
