ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR IN CHILDHOOD IS ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT PREDICTORS OF SERIOUS PSYCHOPATHOLOGY. THE PSYCHOBIOLOGICAL EXPLORATION OF CHILDHOOD DEVIANCE COMES AFTER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME WHEN PSYCHOANALYTICAL AND SOCIAL THEORIES DOMINATED THE FIELD OF DELINQUENCY. WAYS IN WHICH PSYCHOBIOLOGICAL VULNERABILITIES EXPRESS THEMSELVES DEPEND ON THE SOCIAL AND FAMILIAL CONTEXT IN WHICH THEY OCCUR. SOCIAL AND FAMILIAL FACTORS, THROUGH EMOTIONAL DEPRIVATION, PHYSICAL NEGLECT, AND ACTUAL PHYSICAL ABUSE, CREATE SOME OF THE PSYCHOBIOLOGICAL VULNERABILITIES FREQUENTLY ASSOCIATED WITH DELINQUENT BEHAVIOR. ARTICLES INCLUDED IN THE JOURNAL FOCUS ON EPIDEMIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES RELATED TO MALADAPTATION IN CHILDREN (NEUROLOGICAL, FAMILIAL, AND SOCIAL FACTORS), GENETIC AND PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL FACTORS IN ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR, PARENTAL PSYCHIATRIC ILLNESS AND BROKEN HOMES AND THEIR RELATION TO DELINQUENCY, CHILDHOOD BEHAVIORAL DISTURBANCES, HYPERACTIVITY AND ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR, DELINQUENCY AND THE SCHIZOPHRENIC SPECTRUM OF DISORDERS, VIOLENCE IN CHILDREN AND ADULTS, THE SCREAMING BABY, MATERNAL ADAPTATION TO THE BIRTH OF A DOWN'S SYNDROME INFANT, IMAGINARY COMPANIONS OF CHILDREN, STABILITY AND CHANGE IN INDIVIDUAL TEMPERAMENT DIAGNOSES FROM INFANCY TO EARLY CHILDHOOD, MENTAL HEALTH ASSESSMENT FOR SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN, INFANT MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, PSYCHIATRIC TREATMENT OF ABUSED CHILDREN, THE ADOLESCENT RUNAWAY, AND CHILD PSYCHIATRY. THE VARIOUS ARTICLES INCLUDE REFERENCES. (DEP)