It's Not All the Parent's Fault: Delinquency in Children Now Linked to Biology

In children, a highly reactive autonomic nervous system paired with a stressful family environment leads to increased instances of maladaptive personality change. Psychologists used a Skin Conductance Response (SCR) test to assess 138 elementary school aged children. The children watched a stressful film involving a lamp causing a fire in a girl's room. The combination of high SCR and high family risk predicted substantial increases in personality change and behavior problems. The researchers observed the children four separate times over the course of six years.