Conduct Disorder
Conduct Disorder
Conduct Disorder
(ODD)
Age-inappropriate, stubborn, hostile, and defiant
behavior, including:
losing temper
arguing with adults
active defiance or refusal to comply
deliberately annoying others
blaming others for mistakes or misbehavior
being “touchy” or easily annoyed
anger and resentfulness
spitefulness or vindictiveness
Conduct Disorder (CD)
A repetitive and persistent pattern of violating basic
rights of others and/or age-appropriate societal norms or
rules, including:
aggression to people and animals (e.g., bullying,
threatening, fighting, using a weapon)
destruction of property (e.g., deliberate fire setting)
deceitfulness or theft (e.g., “conning” others,
shoplifting, breaking into others’ property)
serious violations of rules (e.g., running away,
truancy, staying out at night without permission)
Characteristics of Conduct Disorder
Behavioral manifestations:
Aggression
Defiance
Dimensions
Severity
Frequency
Intensity
breadth
Criteria for Conduct Disorder
Costs to Society
Large – see overhead
Costs for one youth over a million dollars
Etiology/Risk Factors
Biological – lots of ??s
Correlations are not well understood
Psychological/Personality Factors
Perceived hostility
Accepting of aggression
Problem solving
Early temperament & learning
Etiology/Risk Factors cont’
Parents/Socialization
Lack of attention and/or inconsistency
Peers
poverty
Environmental/Situational Factors
Alcoholor drug abuse
Access to weapons
crowds
Stability of Disorder
1. Discipline problems
2. Breadth of problems
3. Predictors:
1. Age of onset
2. Breadth of deviance
3. Parent characteristics
Prevalence & Gender
Differences
Prevalence
2%-6% for CD
12% for ODD
Gender differences
in childhood, antisocial behavior 3-4 times more
common in boys
differences decrease/disappear by age 15
boys remain more violence-prone throughout lifespan;
girls use more indirect and relational forms of
aggression
Developmental Course
Earliest sign usually difficult temperament in infancy
Two Pathways
life-course-persistent (LCP) path begins at an early
age and persists into adulthood
adolescent-limited (AL) path begins around puberty
and ends in young adulthood (more common and less
serious than LCP)
Often negative adult outcomes, especially for those on
the LCP path
Parenting Factors
1. Coercion-escalation hypothesis
2. Why punishment does not work for
families in this pattern of interaction
Causes of Conduct Problems
Genetic Influences
biologically-based traits like difficult early
temperament or hyperactivity-impulsivity may
predispose certain children
adoption and twin studies support genetic
contribution, especially for overt behaviors
different pathways reflect the interaction
between genetic and environmental risk and
protective factors
Treatment
3 empirically supported treatments
1. Parent management training
2. Problem solving skills training
3. Multi-systemic therapy