Developmental Trajectories and Predictors of Lying in Adolescence: A Population-Based Cohort Study

This study examined lying trajectories and social-environmental predictors in a population-based sample of 5,263 adolescents from the Netherlands. Mothers reported on adolescent lying at ages 10, 14, and 18, parents reported on parenting practices, family dysfunction and socio-demographic covariates. Growth Mixture Modeling identified two sex-invariant lying trajectories: most adolescents lied infrequently (84.40%; low stable), while some lied more frequently with a slight decrease (13.60%; medium decreasing). Poorer parental monitoring and supervision, more inconsistent discipline, more corporal punishment, more family dysfunction, male sex, and lower family socio-economic status significantly predicted higher odds of being in the medium decreasing trajectory. These findings contribute to a better theoretical understanding of developmental trajectories of lying and highlight the role of the family system herein.