👮 Lying children, future criminals?

Do most lies told during childhood lead to serious problems in adulthood?

To answer this question, new research relies on data from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Kindergarten Children. The subjects at the time were attending French-language kindergartens between 1986 and 1988. The researchers randomly selected 2,000 children to form a representative sample. This group was supplemented by 1,017 children exhibiting behavioral problems.

Trends tracked for over a decade

The researchers analyzed data on the lying behaviors of participants between the ages of 6 and 19, behaviors observed by their parents and teachers, and then identified participants with similar trends (occasional lying, frequent lying, increasingly frequent lying, etc.).

They then checked whether these trends were associated with other characteristics observed during childhood, such as aggression or impulsivity, or with later problems, including mental health disorders or criminal convictions. To do this, they used data on psychiatric symptoms at age 22 and criminal records up to age 25.

Useful results for parents, teachers, and clinicians

Most lies told during childhood do not lead to serious problems in adulthood, and only certain lying behaviors are associated with psychological or legal difficulties later in life.

"The evolution of lying behavior varies from child to child," explains Victoria Talwar, a professor in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology and lead author of the study. "Most of the children in our study lied little or less over time. In the majority of cases, lying is not a problematic behavior."

In contrast, children who lied frequently or increasingly over time showed more aggressive and impulsive behaviors from childhood. They were also more likely to exhibit symptoms of antisocial personality and to have a criminal record in early adulthood, she notes.

"This study helps us distinguish behaviors that are part of normal development from those for which it might be useful to get support from childhood," says Victoria Talwar. "It also helps reduce the stigma around lying and more effectively prevent negative long-term consequences."

"The fact that a child lies persistently or increasingly over time may be a sign that early support and intervention are needed, beyond simple punitive measures, especially when the child shows aggressive and impulsive behaviors," she adds.

Victoria Talwar, who has long studied lying in children, hopes that further studies will follow participants into adulthood. These would allow examination of the long-term impacts of lying behaviors on social, professional, and relational levels, and help clinicians support people's moral and social development throughout their lives.