Conduct Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence

Uniquely authoritative, comprehensive and multidisciplinary, this survey is essential reading for all clinicians and professionals working in child health.

Conduct disorders are very common and the most frequent reason for clinical referrals to child and adolescent mental health facilities. Aggression and oppositional behaviour in youth often becomes persistent, and substantially increases the likelihood of adult problems of criminality, unstable relationships, psychiatric disorder, and harsh parenting. This comprehensive book by leading clinicians and researchers reviews established and emerging aspects of conduct disorder. It highlights the complexity and probable heterogeneity of the condition, including the biological, neuropsychological, and cognitive factors, and the role of attachment and family influences. Preventive and treatment approaches and outcomes are reviewed, with developmental and gender-based variations emphasized throughout. Integrating findings from a wide range of research perspectives, this is a uniquely authoritative survey of a common clinical and social problem, and will be essential reading for mental health practitioners and others with clinical, sociological or medicolegal interests in child health and behaviour.

List of contributors; Preface; 1. Bad behaviour: an historical perspective on disorders of conduct E. Jane Costello and Adrian Angold; 2. Can the study of 'normal' behaviour contribute to an understanding of conduct disorder? Robert A. Hinde; 3. The development of children's conflict and prosocial behaviour: lessons from research on social understanding and gender Judy Dunn; 4. Neural mechanisms underlying aggressive behaviour Joe Herbert and Manuela Martinez; 5. Biosocial influences on antisocial behaviours in childhood and adolescence Jonathan Hill; 6. The epidemiology of disorders of conduct: nosological issues and comorbidity Adrian Angold and E. Jane Costello; 7. Conduct disorder in context Barbara Maughan; 8. Genetic influences on conduct disorder Emily Simonoff; 9. The role of neuropsychological deficits in conduct disorders Donald R. Lynam and Bill Henry; 10. A reinforcement model of conduct problems in children and adolescents: advances in theory and intervention Jeff Keisner, Thomas J. Dishion and François Poulin; 11. Perceptual and attributional processes in aggression and conduct problems Gregory S. Pettit, Jodi A. Polaha and Jacquelyn Mize; 12. Attachment and conduct disorder Michelle DeKlyen and Matthew L. Speltz; 13. Friends, friendships and conduct disorders Frank Vitaro, Richard E. Tremblay and William Bukowski; 14. Discontinuities of development, with particular emphasis on emotional and cognitive components of disruptive behaviour Rolf Loeber and John Coie; 15. Treatment of conduct disorders Alan E. Kazdin; 16. The prevention of conduct disorder: a review of successful and unsuccessful experiments David LeMarquand, Richard E. Tremblay and Frank Vitaro; 17. Economic evaluation and conduct disorders Martin Knapp; 18. Antisocial children grown up Barbara Maughan and Michael Rutter; 19. Conduct disorder: future directions. An afterword Michael Rutter; Index.

This uniquely authoritative, comprehensive, multidisciplinary survey reviews all aspects of conduct disorder - highlighting the complexity and probable heterogeneity of the condition, preventive and treatment approaches and outcomes, and developmental and gender-based variations. It is essential reading for mental health practitioners and others with clinical, sociological or medicolegal interests in child health.