1. Conduct disorder

2. Readings
Wenar, C. & Kerig, P. (2000)“ Conduct disorder and the devlopment of antisocial behaviour” in Developmental Psychopathology (pp ). Singapore: McGraw-Hill

3. Lecture Questions
What is Conduct Disorder and how does it affect children/adolescents lives?
What are the diagnostic issues related to Conduct Disorder?
What is the developmental picture and course in Conduct Disorder?
What are some of the social issues related to Conduct Disorder?

4. Conduct Disorder in Popular Culture

5. Overview Another externalising problem
Impacts on all rings of the social context web- young person, family, school, community
NZ prevalence 3.4% age 11, 7.3% age 15, 5.5% age 18
More prevalent in clinical samples, around a third to a half of all child and adolescent cases
Comorbidity with ADHD, ODD, learning disorders, depression

6. Gender issues Ratio 3:1, more diagnosed in boys
Research biased to study of boys
DSM criteria differences and presentation differences
Girls CD patterns more likely to begin in adolescence
Girls >comorbidity-depression, anxiety
Influence of developmental factors
Influence of how gender constructed

7. Factors in drawing the line
Context for the behaviour, adaptation or mental disorder?
Seriousness of rule violations
Frequency, intensity, endurability, pervasiveness
Age appropriateness of rule violations

8. Rule violation developmental picture
Pre-school aggression to other children, disobedient to parents
School age classroom disruption, unco-operative in playground, defiant at home
Adolescence delinquent peers, violating the law, ignoring parental discipline, failing in school
Rule violation ‘normal’ in adolescence
Childhood behaviour better predictor of adult antisocial behaviour than adolescent behaviour

9. DSM Criteria
Aggression to people and animals (cruelty, bullying, fights, forced sex, mugging)
Destruction of property (fire-setting and other ways)
Deceitfulness or theft (breaking & entering, ‘conning’, stealing
Serious rule violations (staying out at night, running away, truanting)
Repetitive, persistent, violation of others rights or social norms, at least three in each category

10. Types of Conduct Disorder
Childhood onset
Overt aggression
Physical violence
Multiple problems
More common in males
Persistent
Better predictor of antisocial behaviour in adulthood

11. Types of Conduct Disorder
Adolescent onset
Less severe behaviour problems
Less complex problems
Less violent crime
Different childhood temperaments (‘difficult’ for child type, emotional detachment for adolescent

12. sub-types Two behavioural dimensions:
Destructiveness- (a)those that harm others and (b)those that violate rules
Overtness- (c) those that lie, steal (covert) and (d)those that bully, fight
Subtypes- oppositional (b&d), aggressive (a&d), property violations (a&c), status violations (b&c)
Frick et al. (1993)

13. Children who kill 1950s ‘Heavenly Creatures’ Mark and Luke Reihana
Bailey Junior Kurariki

14. Children who kill-psychopaths?
Antisocial behaviour-associated with impulsivity and conduct problems
Psychopathy associated with callousness, lack of empathy and emotion
Psychopathy linked with violence of offending
Different pathways

15. Developmental course
At age 3, aggressive, temper tantrums, torturing the family cat, destroying property, no playmates
In the school years, academic deficiencies
As a teenager, poor interpersonal skills, high peer rejection
50% of children diagnosed with CD will develop anti-social personality as adults (Kazdin)

16. Risk factors-child/adolescent
Prematurity, low birth weight, anoxia, medical stresses at birth (interact with family factors)
No substantial evidence for genetic factors
Temperament (emotionality, activity level, sociability) –’difficult’
Frontal lobe deficits-inability to plan or redirect potentially harmful behaviour and learn from negative consequences
Problems with self-control

17. Risk factors-parents Alcoholism/substance abuse
history of parent criminality
psychiatric problems, especially antisocial personality disorder

18. Risk factors- family system
harsh parenting or lax parenting, poor supervision, inconsistency, ‘coercion’
low attachment, warmth
less supportive and more defensive communication
dominance of one family member
low stress threshold, stress related to significant other
exposure to violence, abuse, neglect- increase risk from 5% to 20%

19. Risk factors-social
large family size, overcrowding, untoward living conditions
poor housing
disadvantaged school setting
financial hardship
adversarial contact with an outside agency

20. NZ data
Fergusson et al. (Christchurch Development Study) social and material disadvantage
parental criminality, substance abuse and other adjustment problems
impaired parenting and lower standards of child care
family instability, change and marital conflict
One risk factor in itself not predictive, the greater the number, the more likely anti-social career from early age escalating in seriousness

21. Peers factors Peer rejection in early childhood
Association with ‘deviant’ or antisocial peer group (especially adolescence)
Girls with older boyfriends

22. Societal factors Media violence and tolerance for violence
Neighbourhood violence
School ‘climates’
Constructions of gender

23. Buffers or protective factors
Being a girl
Being very intelligent
Having a positive social orientation
Having a resilient temperament
Having warm, supportive affective
relationships with family or other adults
Being committed to values of school or
other social institution
Family and community norms opposed to
crime and violence & supportive of
educational success and healthy development