The Relationship of Impulsivity-Inattention and Verbal Ability to Overt and Covert Antisocial Behaviors in Children

Research has linked many risk factors in childhood and early adolescence to antisocial behaviors in later adolescence and
early adulthood; however, less attention has focused on the interaction among factors in the prediction of distinct forms
of antisocial behaviors. This study investigated the additive and synergistic association of inattention-impulsivity and verbal
ability with overt and covert antisocial behaviors using a high risk community sample of 270 (49.8% female) children. Multiple
regression analyses indicated kindergarten inattention-impulsivity was significantly related to overt and covert antisocial
behaviors and the interaction of inattention-impulsivity and verbal ability significantly predicted covert but not overt antisocial
behaviors during kindergarten and first grade. Kindergarten verbal ability did not buffer the association of impulsivity-inattention
with covert antisocial behavior; rather higher verbal ability was associated with increased risk for covert antisocial behavior
in the presence of high levels of impulsivity-inattention. The association of inattention-impulsivity with higher levels of
overt and covert antisocial behavior begins during childhood, and may set off developmental trajectories associated with the
acceleration of antisocial behavior in adolescence.