The sample was drawn from Kauai, which is at the northwest end of the main chain of the Hawaiian islands. Assessment instruments included a variety of measures of the constitutional and behavioral characteristics of the children, their families, and the larger social context in which they lived and of stressful events that occurred during the first and second decade of their lives. Regardless of social class, children with 'difficult temperaments' who interacted with distressed caretakers in disorganized, unstable families had a greater chance of developing delinquent behavior than children who were perceived as rewarding by their caretakers and who grew up in supportive homes. Equally pervasive were the positive effects of competence in reading and writing 'standard' English among the sample. Competence in these skills was a major ameliorative factor among the resilient youth who coped well in spite of poverty or family distress. Lack of these skills led to cumulative problems in school and were prevalent among youth with a delinquency record. Implications for predicting and preventing delinquency are discussed. 23 references.