Conduct Disorder

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Early childhood behavioural problems have long been thought to be a risk factor for future violence and antisocial behaviour. Specifically, conduct disorder (CD) is thought to be the precursor to antisocial personality disorder (APD) (Fergusson, Horwood, & Ridder, 2005). In fact, the DSM-IV hypothesized that there is a progression from Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), to conduct disorder and then in adulthood to antisocial personality disorder (Fergusson et al., 2005). This is an interest to researchers because early problematic behaviours are associated with negative outcomes later in adolescence and adulthood, such as: crime, substance abuse, mental health problems, unemployment, teenage sexual risk-taking, and overall quality of life (Fergusson et al., 2005). Behavioural problems demonstrated as early as kindergarten have predicted later antisocial behaviour, and thus early intervention as well as consistent screening measures are essential for identifying children at risk. (Racz, King, Wu, Witkiewitz, & McMahon, 2013)
Many studies have examined the accuracy of predictive screening tools on children as young as 5 years old (Racz, et al., 2013). A study done by Racz et al. (2013) has sought to determine if the Teacher Observation of Classroom Adaption-Revised (TOCA-R) measured during kindergarten could predict the outcomes of children’s antisocial behaviours at the end of elementary school, and into their teenage years. This study involved a sample of 752 children, 58% of them being male. with an average age of 6.55 years old at the starting of the program (Racz, et al., 2013). The sample was divided into a control group, an intervention group, and a population-normative sample in which the children were stratified for...

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... Threshold, and Expansion of the Nosology of Conduct Disorder for Girls. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 119(4), 689-698

Khalifa, N., Duggan, C., Howard, R., & Lumsden, J. (2012). The Relationship Between Childhood Conduct Disorder and Adult Antisocial Behavior is Partially Mediated by Early-Onset Alcohol Abuse. Personality Disorders: Theory, Research and Treatment, 3(4), 423-432.

Mannuzza, S., Klein, R. G., Abikoff, H., & Moulton, J. L. (2004). Significance of Childhood Conduct Problems to Later Development of Conduct Disorder Among Children with ADHD: A Prospective Follow-Up Study. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 32(5), 565-573.

Racz, S. J., King, K. M., Wu, J., Witkiewitz, K., & McMahon, R. J. (2013). The Predictive Utility of a Brief Kindergarten Screening Measure of Child Behavior Problems. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 81(5), 588-599

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