Neuropsychological characteristics and test behaviors of boys with early onset conduct problems.

School-age children and adolescents with conduct problems typically exhibit deficits in verbal IQ, language abilities, and executive functions. This study examined the extent to which this pattern was evident in a clinic group of preschool boys with early onset conduct problems who met criteria for oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A 2nd question focused on the strength of relation between clinic boys' uncooperative or inattentive test behaviors and their test performance. As expected, the clinic boys showed a neuropsychological profile highly similar to the one found in older conduct problem populations. Verbal tests distinguished clinic from matched comparison boys even after controlling for observers' ratings of disruptive behavior during testing. Clinic boys with ODD and ADHD had lower verbal and executive function scores than clinic boys with ODD alone. After general vocabulary knowledge and test behavior were controlled, clinic boys were found to have poorer vocabularies for describing affective states than comparison group boys. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social support and treatment outcome in behavioral family therapy for child conduct problems.

Assessed the role of social support in the outcome of child management training (CMT) for single parents of conduct problem children and assessed the impact of adjunctive ally support training (AST) on treatment outcome. 22 single parents with a child diagnosed as oppositional or conduct-disordered received CMT or CMT plus AST. Each group received the same 6-wk parent training program and the AST group received an extra social support intervention. Measures of parent behavior, child deviance, social support (SS), and parental depression were obtained at pre- and posttreatment and at 6-mo follow-up. Both groups improved, and changes maintained at follow-up. AST produced no extra gains. Responders from either group were more likely than nonresponders to report high levels of SS from friends. Results emphasize the importance of SS and the difficulty of incorporating changes in SS into treatment programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Moral reasoning and conduct problems in the classroom.

Assessed 60 6th-graders for their level of moral development using the Moral Judgment Interview. Ss were also rated by their teachers on classroom conduct. Two hypotheses were investigated: (a) Ss who employ lower stages of moral reasoning will display more conduct problems than those who reason at higher levels; and (b) those who reason at lower levels will display more variability in their conduct ratings than their higher reasoning counterparts. Results, both before and after the effects of sex, verbal ability, and social class were controlled statistically, support both hypotheses. (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A meta-analytic examination of comorbid hyperactive-impulsive-attention problems and conduct problems.

The author quantitatively reviewed prevalence rates, defining features, associated features, developmental trajectory, and etiology to examine 3 taxonomic questions about comorbid hyperactive-impulsive-attention problems (HIA) and conduct problems (CP): Do HIA and CP co-occur randomly? Does comorbid HLA-CP differ from HIA-only and CP-only? Do HIA and CP combine synergistically? Results showed that HIA and CP co-occur at a greater than random rate, that comorbid HIA-CP differs from HIA-only and CP-only in multiple ways, and that there is little evidence that HIA and CP combine synergistically. However, sample type, grouping definition, age, gender, and subtype of disruptive behavior often moderated these findings. Overall, the review suggests that HIA-CP is best conceptualized as an additive combination of HIA and CP rather than as a distinct category. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sexual abuse in early versus late childhood: Differing patterns of pathology as revealed on the Rorschach.

Examined retrospectively the Rorschach protocols of 3 groups of girls; 37 sexually abused before their 9th birthday; 43 sexually abused after their 9th birthday; and a control group of 72 patients with no history of abuse. Five Rorschach variables were found to reliably differentiate early- from late-abuse-onset groups. The patterns of group differences revealed that over half of early-abused Ss manifested a preoedipal form of pathology characterized by disturbed cognition, damaged self, and preoccupation with themes of primitive supply and transitional relatedness. Only 12% of late-abused Ss displayed this pattern. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reducing conduct problems among children of battered women.

This study was an experimental evaluation of an intervention designed to reduce conduct problems among children of battered women. Participants were 36 families (mothers and children) in which the mother had sought shelter because of relationship violence and had at least 1 child (4-9 years old) with clinical levels of conduct problems. The intervention consisted of 2 primary components: (a) providing instrumental and emotional support and (b) teaching child management skills to mothers. Families were randomly assigned to either the intervention condition or the existing services comparison condition and were assessed on 5 occasions over 16 months after shelter departure. Compared with families receiving existing services, children in the intervention condition improved at a faster rate, the proportion of children displaying clinical levels of conduct problems was greatly diminished, and mothers displayed greater improvements in child management skills. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Randomized prevention trial for early conduct problems: Effects on proactive parenting and links to toddler disruptive behavior.

Despite knowledge of early pathways to conduct problems, few preventive interventions are specifically designed to modify disruptive behavior in toddlerhood. One potential prevention target is proactive and positive parenting, which is associated with reduced risk of conduct problems in preschoolers. This randomized trial with 120 low-income 2-year-old boys examined whether a brief family-centered intervention that reduces disruptive behavior (D. Shaw, T. Dishion, L. Supplee, F. Gardner, & K. Arnds, 2006) also leads to increases in proactive and positive parenting. It also explored whether change in parenting predicts change in disruptive behavior. In the intervention group, proactive and positive parenting skills increased among parents of 3-year-olds. Change in proactive and positive parenting of 2- to 3-year-old toddlers correlated with change in child disruptive behavior, although the mediation effect of positive parenting was of only borderline significance. Findings suggest that even within a brief and multifaceted preventive intervention, change in proactive parenting skills contributes modestly but significantly to change in child problem behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Randomized trial of a family-centered approach to the prevention of early conduct problems: 2-year effects of the family check-up in early childhood.

Despite recent research indicating that 1 of the pivotal times for identifying pathways to early conduct problems is the toddler period, few family-based preventive interventions have been specifically designed to modify child disruptive behavior during this age period. This randomized trial tested the effectiveness of the Family Check-Up in sustaining maternal involvement and preventing the exacerbation of child conduct problems among 120 at-risk toddler-age boys, half of whom were randomly assigned to a treatment condition. The intervention was associated with reductions in disruptive behavior and greater maternal involvement and was particularly effective for children at greater risk for a persistent trajectory of conduct problems. The results are discussed in relation to other preventive interventions for young children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Long-term consequences of childhood physical abuse.

Reviews the literature on the long-term consequences of childhood physical abuse. Empirical research is discussed within 7 topic areas: aggressive and violent behavior, nonviolent criminal behavior, substance abuse, self-injurious and suicidal behavior, emotional problems, interpersonal problems, and academic and vocational difficulties. The studies reviewed involve primarily adult populations, although pertinent findings from literature on children and adolescents are briefly summarized. Some variables that affect the relation between physical abuse and long-term consequences are examined. These moderator variables include maltreatment characteristics, individual factors, and environmental factors. The article ends with suggestions for future research on long-term consequences and variables that may affect these outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social status and the comorbidity of child depression and conduct disorder.

This study examined the overlap between child depression (DEP) and conduct disorder (CD) as a function of peer social status (i.e., popular, rejected, neglected, controversial, average) in a sample of 1,464 nonreferred 4th graders. Both DEP and CD were measured by self-report, peer nomination, and teacher ratings. Social status was assessed by peer nomination. A strong correlation (.73) was found between DEP and CD, even after accounting for shared method variance by confirmatory factor analysis. Furthermore, the number of Ss who scored high on both DEP and CD was greater than would be expected by chance alone. Multivariate tests revealed that rejected Ss scored higher than average Ss on measures of DEP and CD. Controversial boys also scored higher on measures of CD. However, analyses also revealed that the association between depression and rejected social status might be due to a subgroup of depressed children who also manifested symptoms of CD. Implications for assessment and treatment of child disorders are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A biopsychosocial model of the development of chronic conduct problems in adolescence.

A biopsychosocial model of the development of adolescent chronic conduct problems is presented and supported through a review of empirical findings. This model posits that biological dispositions and sociocultural contexts place certain children at risk in early life but that life experiences with parents, peers, and social institutions increment and mediate this risk. A transactional developmental model is best equipped to describe the emergence of chronic antisocial behavior across time. Reciprocal influences among dispositions, contexts, and life experiences lead to recursive iterations across time that exacerbate or diminish antisocial development. Cognitive and emotional processes within the child, including the acquisition of knowledge and social-information-processing patterns, mediate the relation between life experiences and conduct problem outcomes. Implications for prevention research and public policy are noted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Destructive sibling conflict and the development of conduct problems in young boys.

Little empirical work has explored the relation between destructive sibling conflict and conduct problems in children. This study used a measure of observed sibling conflict to examine its relations with maternal and teacher report of conduct problems in a low-income sample of 180 five-year-old boys and their close-age siblings. Early report of behavior problems and rejecting parenting were added to the analyses to control for these predictors and to examine interactive effects. The interaction between destructive sibling conflict and rejecting parenting predicted aggressive behavior problems across time and informants such that a rise in aggression scores was evident for children who had high levels of both sibling conflict and rejecting parenting. Sibling conflict was also directly related longitudinally to the Child Behavior Checklist Delinquency factor. Results are discussed in terms of additive risk models and G. R. Patterson's (1984, 1986) theory of coercion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Maternal depression and early positive parenting predict future conduct problems in young children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at risk for adverse outcomes such as substance abuse and criminality, particularly if they develop conduct problems. Little is known about early predictors of the developmental course of conduct problems among children with ADHD, however. Parental psychopathology and parenting were assessed in 108 children who first met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.) criteria for ADHD at 4-7 years old. When demographic variables and baseline ADHD and conduct problems were controlled, maternal depression predicted conduct problems 2-8 years following the initial assessment, whereas positive parenting during the structured parent- child interaction task predicted fewer future conduct problems. These findings suggest that maternal depression is a risk factor, whereas early positive parenting is a protective factor, for the developmental course of conduct problems among children with ADHD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Monitoring the information-processing demands of attention switching.

Examined demands on information-processing capacity in 3 experiments with 48 Ss by combining auditory digit-tasks involving attention switching with the secondary task of pursuit tracking. Secondary task scores in 2 experiments were lower for tracking segments involving signalled switches between digit-tasks and between input channels, respectively. These results could not be accounted for by a trade-off between digit-task and tracking performance. When the attended channel was defined by voice quality in a 3rd experiment, tracking performance was not affected by switches between input channels. A comparison of the present results and those of related studies indicates that switching attention per se between input channels does not constitute the primary demand for central processing capacity in dichotic tasks. The increased demand appears to be related instead to the concomitant changes required in the input processing and to the processing of signals to switch the focus of attention. (French summary) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Experimental and ethical problems of evaluating the influence of hypnosis in antisocial conduct.

Attempted to improve the procedures of an earlier experiment concerning the ability of hypnosis to create antisocial behavior. The influences of a personal relationship between S and hypnotist, and of S's knowledge of participation in an experiment, were examined. A measure of an S's moral stance toward the specific antisocial act (selling heroin) was also obtained. Ss were 22 female and 4 male undergraduates in 4 groups. Results suggest that the experimental manipulations were generally successful in deceiving Ss into believing that the antisocial request was separate from an experiment, and that an S's moral stance toward the act may be an important variable in determining compliance with requests to engage in antisocial behavior. The major finding, however, is identification of methodological and ethical problems in research of this kind, and these are considered in some detail. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Posttraumatic stress symptoms mediate the relation between childhood sexual abuse and nonsuicidal self-injury.

Prior research consistently has shown a strong relation between childhood abuse and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), yet it is unclear why this relation exists. The authors examined 2 specific posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom clusters as potential mechanisms through which childhood abuse may be related to NSSI. Participants were 86 adolescents (78% female, 22% male; 73% Caucasian, 27% other races/ethnicities; mean age = 17.03 years, range = 12-19 years) who completed measures of childhood abuse, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.) PTSD symptoms, and NSSI. Analyses revealed a significant relation between childhood sexual abuse in particular and the presence and frequency of NSSI. Moreover, data supported a theoretical model in which PTSD reexperiencing and avoidance/numbing symptoms independently mediate this relation. Future research must test the temporal relation between childhood sexual abuse, PTSD symptoms, and NSSI and identify additional pathways to engagement in NSSI. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Serious conduct problems in the children of adolescent mothers: Disentangling confounded correlations.

Early motherhood (r?=?.33) with the number of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) symptoms of conduct disorder in a sample of 253 boys (aged 6–13 yrs) who had been referred to outpatient clinics. The following models were compared using path analysis: (1) Teenage motherhood, parental antisocial personality, and socioeconomic status (SES) each contribute uniquely to the prediction of childhood conduct problems; (2) teenage motherhood mediates the association of SES and parental antisocial personality with child conduct problems; and (3) teenage motherhood is spuriously related with child conduct problems because of common associations with SES and parental antisocial personality. Model (3) best fit the data. Similar results were obtained whether maternal age at the birth of the firstborn child or the proband child was used to define maternal age and when teenage motherhood was defined as giving birth at     

Differential patterns of wife abuse: A data-based typology.

Despite the growing awareness of wife abuse as a serious social problem of epidemic proportions, to date no systematic research has been conducted to delineate on an empirical basis distinct patterns of abuse within this heterogeneous population. The present study has as its goal the identification of differential patterns of wife abuse, each having a unique etiological profile with attendant implications for intervention. Toward this end a multivariate quantitative taxonomic procedure was employed to delineate 5 homogeneous subgroups of women (N?=?119; 17–58 yrs) abused by their partners. Subsequent analyses revealed these 5 subtypes to differ significantly in frequency and severity of abuse, usual precipitants, typical responses of the woman and her assailant, history of violence in the family of origin, and disposition following brief residence at a shelter for battered women. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social motives and patterns of friendship.

35 male and 70 female undergraduates described 10 friendship episodes—interactions with friends that lasted at least 15–20 min—that occurred in the previous 2 wks. They also listed strong points, weak points, and reasons for friendship for each of 5 friends who appeared in the reported friendship episodes. Intimacy and power motivation were assessed via scores from a previous administration of the TAT. Ss high in intimacy motivation reported (a) more dyadic friendship episodes, (b) more self-disclosure among friends, (c) more listening, and (d) more concern for the well-being of friends than did those low in intimacy motivation. Power motivation was associated with more large-group interactions (among males only) and purposeful, agentic striving in friendship episodes. In general, motivational differences tended to outweigh sex differences. Results are interpreted in terms of D. Bakan's (1966) conceptualization of agency and communion. (48 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)