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. 2008 Jun 1;18(2):285-304.
doi: 10.1111/j.1532-7795.2008.00561.

Delayed Adulthood, Delayed Desistance? Trends in the Age Distribution of Problem Behaviors

Sarah R Hayford  1 , Frank F Furstenberg Jr
Affiliations

Delayed Adulthood, Delayed Desistance? Trends in the Age Distribution of Problem Behaviors

Sarah R Hayford et al. J Res Adolesc. .

Abstract

As the transition to adulthood becomes more protracted and less orderly, fewer young people occupy adult roles and experience the social control associated with these roles. One might therefore expect behaviors associated with the teenage years to spill over into older age groups, reflecting postponed entrance into full social adulthood. We test this hypothesis by examining trends over time in the age distribution of crime, substance use, and violent death. We find little evidence that behaviors typical of adolescence are moving upward to older ages. Although the achievement of adult roles is being pushed to older ages, this stretching of the transition to adulthood is not reflected in the observed patterns of substance use, violent death, and arrests.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Proportion of population enrolled in school, by age. Source: U.S. Census Bureau. See text for details.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Proportion of population married, by age group. Source: U.S. Census Bureau. See text for details.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Age-specific arrest rates, U.S. population. Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics. See text for details.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Used marijuana in past 30 days, by age of respondent. Source: Monitoring the Future. See text for details.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Had five or more drinks in a row at least once in the past 2 weeks, by age of respondent. Source: Monitoring the Future. See text for details.
FIGURE 6
FIGURE 6
Age-specific rates of death by motor vehicle accident, U.S. population. Source: Vital Statistics. See text for details.
FIGURE 7
FIGURE 7
Age-specific rates of death by homicide, U.S. population. Source: Vital Statistics. See text for details.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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