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BACKGROUND: Although the link between alcohol involvement and behavioral phenotypes (e.g. impulsivity, negative affect, executive function [EF]) is well-established, the directionality of these associations, specificity to stages of alcohol involvement, and extent of shared genetic liability remain unclear. We estimate longitudinal associations between transitions among alcohol milestones, behavioral phenotypes, and indices of genetic risk. METHODS: Data came from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (n = 3681; ages 11-36). Alcohol transitions (first: drink, intoxication, alcohol use disorder [AUD] symptom, AUD diagnosis), internalizing, and externalizing phenotypes came from the Semi-Structured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism. EF was measured with the Tower of London and Visual Span Tasks. Polygenic scores (PGS) were computed for alcohol-related and behavioral phenotypes. Cox models estimated associations among PGS, behavior, and alcohol milestones. RESULTS: Externalizing phenotypes (e.g. conduct disorder symptoms) were associated with future initiation and drinking problems (hazard ratio (HR)⩾1.16). Internalizing (e.g. social anxiety) was associated with hazards for progression from first drink to severe AUD (HR⩾1.55). Initiation and AUD were associated with increased hazards for later depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation (HR⩾1.38), and initiation was associated with increased hazards for future conduct symptoms (HR = 1.60). EF was not associated with alcohol transitions. Drinks per week PGS was linked with increased hazards for alcohol transitions (HR⩾1.06). Problematic alcohol use PGS increased hazards for suicidal ideation (HR = 1.20). CONCLUSIONS: Behavioral markers of addiction vulnerability precede and follow alcohol transitions, highlighting dynamic, bidirectional relationships between behavior and emerging addiction.

BackgroundDespite the ubiquity of adolescent screen use, there are limited longitudinal studies that examine the prospective relationships between screen time and child behavioral problems in a large, diverse nationwide sample of adolescents in the United States, which was the objective of the current study.MethodsWe analyzed cohort data of 9,538 adolescents (9-10 years at baseline in 2016-2018) with two years of follow-up from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. We used mixed-effects models to analyze associations between baseline self-reported screen time and parent-reported mental health symptoms using the Child Behavior Checklist, with random effects adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, household income, parent education, and study site. We tested for effect modification by sex and race/ethnicity.ResultsThe sample was 48.8% female and racially/ethnically diverse (47.6% racial/ethnic minority). Higher total screen time was associated with all mental health symptoms in adjusted models, and the association was strongest for depressive (B = 0.10, 95% CI 0.06, 0.13, p

Objective: To examine agreement between parental reports of head injury and evidence of head injury in medical records and to compare these two measures in predicting early conduct disorder (CD). Design and Setting: Parent survey data was compared with records of child head injury from the National Health Services Register (Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec, RAMQ) administrative database. Participants: Children (N = 685) ages 6–9 with and without CD. There were 147 children with RAMQ recorded head injury and 39 children with parent-reported head injury. Main Measures: Indication of one or more head injury before 6 years of age as reported by parents and/or as noted in medical data. Early CD (present by age 9) according to parents and/or teachers. Results: Results indicated poor agreement between the two forms of reporting κ =.161 (95% CI,.083 to.239), p < 0.001. Medical data significantly predicted the presence of CD in children, with a RAMQ coded head injury suggesting a child was 1.88 times more likely to have CD. Parent reports of head injuries did not significantly predict CD. Conclusion: Medical data should be prioritized in research addressing pediatric head injury, given that parent reports may fail to capture incidence of injury and therefore may be less predictive of other known correlates of head injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Conduct disorder (CD) is a severe mental disorder in youth. Yet, providing psychological interventions for adolescents with CD is challenging. This patient group is often characterized by risk factors for therapy dropout such as, e.g., CD symptoms and being in middle adolescence. On the other hand, little is known about characteristics of adolescents with CD who complete treatment. To gain more insight into what might become a successful therapy with adolescents with CD, this study explores baseline characteristics and drop-out occurrence in patients with CD referred to mentalization-based treatment for adolescents with CD (MBT-CD). More specifically, this study aims at identifying clusters of adolescent patients based on age, CD symptom severity and personality pathology at the beginning of treatment which may have come along with a higher or lower dropout occurrence. Methods: Following implications of an elbow plot, a 3-means cluster-analysis was conducted on self-report baseline data of N = 32 adolescents with CD (n = 11 dropouts, n = 21 completers) who participated in a feasibility study on MBT-CD. Additionally, in an exploratory stepwise logistic regression, variables were explored as potential predictors of dropout. Results: Cluster 1 consisted of n = 14 adolescents, of whom n = 8 (57%) dropped out. Cluster 2 consisted of n = 5 adolescents of whom 1 (20%) dropped out. Cluster 3 consisted of N = 13 adolescents, of whom only n = 2 (15%) dropped out. Cluster 2 showed descriptively the highest CD symptom severity. While adolescents in Clusters 1 and 3 showed in part similarities in CD symptom severity, personality pathology was descriptively markedly higher in Cluster 1. In the stepwise logistic regression, only intimacy personality pathology was identified as potential predictor for dropout. Discussion: This study's exploratory findings point to different types of adolescents with CD coming along with different chances for therapists to conduct a (successful) psychotherapy. Herein, low personality functioning in the intimacy domain, rather than CD symptoms as aggressiveness, may play a crucial role. While findings are limited by the small sample size, they may be able to shed increasing light on conducting (successful) psychotherapy with a scarcely researched patient group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: A scoping review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of parenting and family-based interventions that aim to reduce severe and persistent conduct problems among 10–17 year-olds. The review also examined feasibility for conducting a network meta-analysis of common therapy elements measured by RCTs. Materials and methods: The review adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA- ScR). Searches were conducted in ERIC, PsycINFO, and MEDLINE without limits on publication year, language or publication country. Study methodological quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Checklist for RCTs. Results: Twenty-five eligible RCTs were identified. The studies trialed nine interventions, with Multisystemic Therapy (MST) being the most evaluated (N = 10), followed by Functional Family Therapy (FFT, N = 4), and Treatment Foster Care Oregon (TFCO, N = 3). Only 10 of the 25 RCTs revealed treatment effect on conduct problems, including 6 of 9 MST, 1 of 4 FFT and all 3 TFCO trials. Discussion: Surprisingly few RCTs of parenting and family-based interventions have been carried out exclusively with this population. Available data suggests that MST and FFT have uncertain effectiveness for reducing severe and persistent conduct problems. While the quality of the reviewed studies was generally high, only two reported substantive data on common therapy elements. Conclusion: There is need for more RCTs of parenting and family-based interventions delivered for older children and adolescents with severe and persistent conduct problems. Future RCTs should systematically measure common therapy elements with a view to advancing intervention science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities in children with epilepsy (CWE) and to assess their impact on the quality of life (QOL). Methods: All CWE with a normal Intelligence Quotient (IQ) were assessed for psychiatric commorbidities using the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) for anxiety and depression, and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) for behavioral and emotional problems. Quality of Life in Children with Epilepsy (QOLCE-31) scale was used to assess the quality of life at enrolment and was repeated again after appropriate intervention for comorbidities at 3 months. Results: Twenty-two (24.4%), 18 (20.0%), 35 (38.9%), 32 (35.56), 26 (28.89), and 12 (13.34) children met the clinical threshold for social phobia, major depression, generalized anxiety, separation anxiety, conduct problem and peer problem, respectively. After appropriate intervention for the co-morbidities, improvement was noted in the quality of life. Conclusion: Psychiatric co-morbidities are common in children with epilepsy and these contribute to the poor QOL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Conduct disorder is a prevalent difficulty among children and adolescents, encompassing a range of mental and behavioral problems. The present study aimed to determine the association of developmental family functioning and conduct disorder signs with the mediating effect of cognitive emotion regulation in adolescents. Methods: The present descriptive-correlational study was conducted on 362 students aged 15-18 (16.70±0.92) in Tabriz, Iran in 2023. The study participants were chosen through multi-stage cluster sampling technique. Data collection was done using Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ), Youth Self Report Questionnaire (YSRQ) and Developmental Family Functioning Assessment Scale Questionnaire (DFFAQ) and interviews. Data analysis was done through descriptive statistical methods and path analysis with SPSS version 23 and LISREL version 8.80. Results: Mean±SD of the studied variables were as follows: Attention and regulation (2.35±0.54), Logical thinking (1.96±0.49), Discipline (1.95±0.45), Catastrophizing (2.63±1.16), and Acceptance (2.75±1.24). The data analysis showed that the developmental family functioning had a significant association with negative (r=-0.21, P=0.0001) and positive strategies (r=0.32, P=0.0001) of cognitive emotion regulation. Also, negative (r=0.31, P=0.0001) and positive strategies (r=-0.44, P=0.0001) of cognitive emotion regulation had a statistically significant correlation with conduct disorder symptoms. Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, developmental family functioning has a significant association with the symptoms of conduct disorder in adolescents due to the association between negative and positive strategies of cognitive emotion regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The complex correlation between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and the emergence of Conduct Disorder (CD) requires in-depth examination to inform targeted interventions and support strategies fitted to the unique context of Chinese children. This study explored the correlation between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Conduct Disorder among children in China. Methods: We employed a cross-sectional design to examine the population within Fujian Province, China. A total of 168 participants were recruited by cluster random sampling method on February 9, 2023. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and Adverse Childhood Experience International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ) were applied for data collection. IBM SPSS version 25 was applied for data analysis to conduct a multiple regression analysis. Pearson correlations and multiple linear regression were also used to analyze the data. Results: Adverse childhood experience (Mean±SD=2.208±2.08) and conduct disorder (Mean±SD=1.77±1.35) were investigated. Based on the results, there was a positive correlation between physical neglect (r=0.302, P<0.001), parental separation (r=0.443, P<0.001), domestic violence (r=0.567, P<0.001), emotional abuse (r=0.397, P<0.001), physical abuse (r=0.463, P<0.001), and bullying (r=0.344, P<0.001) with conduct disorder. However, no correlation was found between emotional neglect (r=-0.22, P=0.776), families addicted (r=0.001, P=0.996), families' mental disorders (r=0.016, P=0.840), families imprisoned (r=0.083, P=0.285), sexual abuse (r=0.132, P=0.089), and community violence (r=0.139, P=0.072) with conduct disorder. Conclusions: Adverse childhood experiences have the potential to serve as predictors of conduct disorder, with factors such as domestic violence, emotional and physical abuse, parental separation, and bullying playing significant roles in its development. The prevention of conduct disorder is influenced by a variety of factors including the child's living environment, parental correlations, and the physical and mental health status of family members. Additional study might be performed to investigate protective variables that may reduce the influence of bad childhood experiences on behaviour problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Despite the ubiquity of adolescent screen use, there are limited longitudinal studies that examine the prospective relationships between screen time and child behavioral problems in a large, diverse nationwide sample of adolescents in the United States, which was the objective of the current study. Methods We analyzed cohort data of 9,538 adolescents (9–10 years at baseline in 2016–2018) with two years of follow-up from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. We used mixed-effects models to analyze associations between baseline self-reported screen time and parent-reported mental health symptoms using the Child Behavior Checklist, with random effects adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, household income, parent education, and study site. We tested for effect modification by sex and race/ethnicity. Results The sample was 48.8% female and racially/ethnically diverse (47.6% racial/ethnic minority). Higher total screen time was associated with all mental health symptoms in adjusted models, and the association was strongest for depressive (B = 0.10, 95% CI 0.06, 0.13, p

Background: Conduct disorder is a prevalent difficulty among children and adolescents, encompassing a range of mental and behavioral problems. The present study aimed to determine the association of developmental family functioning and conduct disorder signs with the mediating effect of cognitive emotion regulation in adolescents.Methods: The present descriptive-correlational study was conducted on 362 students aged 15-18 (16.70±0.92) in Tabriz, Iran in 2023. The study participants were chosen through multi-stage cluster sampling technique. Data collection was done using Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ), Youth Self Report Questionnaire (YSRQ) and Developmental Family Functioning Assessment Scale Questionnaire (DFFAQ) and interviews. Data analysis was done through descriptive statistical methods and path analysis with SPSS version 23 and LISREL version 8.80.Results: Mean±SD of the studied variables were as follows: Attention and regulation (2.35±0.54), Logical thinking (1.96±0.49), Discipline (1.95±0.45), Catastrophizing (2.63±1.16), and Acceptance (2.75±1.24). The data analysis showed that the developmental family functioning had a significant association with negative (r=-0.21, P=0.0001) and positive strategies (r=0.32, P=0.0001) of cognitive emotion regulation. Also, negative (r=0.31, P=0.0001) and positive strategies (r=-0.44, P=0.0001) of cognitive emotion regulation had a statistically significant correlation with conduct disorder symptoms.Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, developmental family functioning has a significant association with the symptoms of conduct disorder in adolescents due to the association between negative and positive strategies of cognitive emotion regulation.

This article explores the application of the SCRUM methodology, a popular Agile framework, in social work with children and adolescents exhibiting conduct disorders and antisocial behaviour. Traditional social work models often struggle to adapt to the rapidly changing and complex needs of this high-risk population. The SCRUM framework, with its emphasis on continuous feedback, iterative processes, and interdisciplinary collaboration, offers a flexible and dynamic approach to care. By fostering teamwork between social workers, psychologists, and medical professionals, SCRUM facilitates real-time adjustments in interventions based on the evolving needs of the child. The article examines the benefits of empowering social work teams through SCRUM’s decentralized decision-making, which allows for proactive responses in crisis situations. The KIDSKöpfe gGmbH case study illustrates how SCRUM can be applied in practice, resulting in improved outcomes for children with complex behavioural issues. Despite the potential advantages, there remains a significant gap in the literature on SCRUM’s application in social work, particularly in managing conduct disorders. The article concludes by emphasizing the need for further research and case studies to explore SCRUM’s long-term impact in social work settings, particularly in addressing institutional barriers and regulatory challenges. The discussion highlights SCRUM’s potential to revolutionize social work by creating more flexible, responsive, and collaborative systems for managing high-risk children and adolescents.

Prenatal tobacco exposure has been implicated in increased risk of the development of behavioral disorders in children and adolescents. The purpose of the current study was to systematically examine the association between prenatal tobacco exposure and diagnoses of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and Conduct Disorder in childhood and adolescence. We searched Medline, Psychinfo, ERIC, Proquest, Academic Search Complete, PsychArticles, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, Web of Science, CINAHL Plus, and Google Scholar databases through October 2022. The authors screened studies and extracted data independently in duplicate. Ten clinical studies examining diagnoses of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and Conduct Disorder between the ages of 4 and 18 years old were included. There was insufficient evidence to synthesize outcomes related to Conduct Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder. The meta-analysis found a significant effect of prenatal tobacco exposure in increasing the likelihood of an Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder diagnosis in childhood and adolescence. Implications for future research are discussed.

Prenatal tobacco exposure has been implicated in increased risk of the development of behavioral disorders in children and adolescents. The purpose of the current study was to systematically examine the association between prenatal tobacco exposure and diagnoses of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and Conduct Disorder in childhood and adolescence. We searched Medline, Psychinfo, ERIC, Proquest, Academic Search Complete, PsychArticles, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, Web of Science, CINAHL Plus, and Google Scholar databases through October 2022. The authors screened studies and extracted data independently in duplicate. Ten clinical studies examining diagnoses of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and Conduct Disorder between the ages of 4 and 18 years old were included. There was insufficient evidence to synthesize outcomes related to Conduct Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder. The meta-analysis found a significant effect of prenatal tobacco exposure in increasing the likelihood of an Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder diagnosis in childhood and adolescence. Implications for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disruptive behavior disorders [including conduct disorder (CD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD)] are common childhood and adolescent psychiatric conditions often linked to altered arousal. The recommended first-line treatment is multi-modal therapy and includes psychosocial and behavioral interventions. Their modest effect sizes along with clinically and biologically heterogeneous phenotypes emphasize the need for innovative personalized treatment targeting impaired functions such as arousal dysregulation. A total of 37 children aged 8–14 years diagnosed with ODD/CD were randomized to 20 sessions of individualized arousal biofeedback using skin conductance levels (SCL-BF) or active treatment as usual (TAU) including psychoeducation and cognitive–behavioral elements. The primary outcome was the change in parents´ ratings of aggressive behavior measured by the Modified Overt Aggression Scale. Secondary outcome measures were subscales from the Child Behavior Checklist, the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional traits, and the Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire. The SCL-BF treatment was neither superior nor inferior to the active TAU. Both groups showed reduced aggression after treatment with small effects for the primary outcome and large effects for some secondary outcomes. Importantly, successful learning of SCL self-regulation was related to reduced aggression at post-assessment. Individualized SCL-BF was not inferior to active TAU for any treatment outcome with improvements in aggression. Further, participants were on average able to self-regulate their SCL, and those who best learned self-regulation showed the highest clinical improvement, pointing to specificity of SCL-BF regulation for improving aggression. Further studies with larger samples and improved methods, for example by developing BF for mobile use in ecologically more valid settings are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a childhood neurodevelopmental disorder, is being studied alongside its comorbidity, conduct disorder (CD), a behavioral disorder. Because ADHD and CD share commonalities, distinguishing them is difficult, thus increasing the risk of misdiagnosis. It is crucial that these two conditions are not mistakenly identified as the same because the treatment plan varies depending on whether the patient has CD or ADHD. Hence, this study proposes an electroencephalogram (EEG)-based deep learning system known as ADHD/CD-NET that is capable of objectively distinguishing ADHD, ADHD + CD, and CD. The 12-channel EEG signals were first segmented and converted into channel-wise continuous wavelet transform (CWT) correlation matrices. The resulting matrices were then used to train the convolutional neural network (CNN) model, and the model's performance was evaluated using 10-fold cross-validation. Gradient-weighted class activation mapping (Grad-CAM) was also used to provide explanations for the prediction result made by the 'black box' CNN model. Internal private dataset (45 ADHD, 62 ADHD + CD and 16 CD) and external public dataset (61 ADHD and 60 healthy controls) were used to evaluate ADHD/CD-NET. As a result, ADHD/CD-NET achieved classification accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and precision of 93.70%, 90.83%, 95.35% and 91.85% for the internal evaluation, and 98.19%, 98.36%, 98.03% and 98.06% for the external evaluation. Grad-CAM also identified significant channels that contributed to the diagnosis outcome. Therefore, ADHD/CD-NET can perform temporal localization and choose significant EEG channels for diagnosis, thus providing objective analysis for mental health professionals and clinicians to consider when making a diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The nature of the pathway from conduct disorder (CD) in adolescence to antisocial behavior in adulthood has been debated and the role of certain mediators remains unclear. One perspective is that CD forms part of a general psychopathology dimension, playing a central role in the developmental trajectory. Impairment in reflective functioning (RF), i.e. the capacity to understand one's own and others' mental states, may relate to CD, psychopathology, and aggression. Here, we characterized the structure of psychopathology in adult male-offenders and its role, along with RF, in mediating the relationship between CD in their adolescence and current aggression. Methods A secondary analysis of pre-treatment data from 313 probation-supervised offenders was conducted, and measures of CD symptoms, general and specific psychopathology factors, RF, and aggression were evaluated through clinical interviews and questionnaires. Results Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that a bifactor model best fitted the sample's psychopathology structure, including a general psychopathology factor (p factor) and five specific factors: internalizing, disinhibition, detachment, antagonism, and psychoticism. The structure of RF was fitted to the data using a one-factor model. According to our mediation model, CD significantly predicted the p factor, which was positively linked to RF impairments, resulting in increased aggression. Conclusions These findings highlight the critical role of a transdiagnostic approach provided by RF and general psychopathology in explaining the link between CD and aggression. Furthermore, they underscore the potential utility of treatments focusing on RF, such as mentalization-based treatment, in mitigating aggression in offenders with diverse psychopathologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI), particularly damage to the frontal lobes, often produces a specific configuration of behavioral and personality changes known as frontal syndrome. Recent data, however, indicate that patients, depending on whether the damage has occurred in the left or right hemisphere of the brain, manifest one of two profiles of this syndrome in which negative or positive behavioral disturbances predominate. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the differences in frontal syndrome profiles present in patients 20 years after injury to the frontal lobes of the right and left hemispheres. Material/Methods: The study included a total of 360 patients with brain injury confirmed by neuroimaging studies, rehabilitated at the Reintegration and Training Center of the Polish Neuropsychological Society. The subjects were matched by age and gender into 2 experimental groups: Group A, included 180 patients (including 90 men and 90 women) with post-traumatic frontal lobe damage in the left hemisphere of the brain, and Group B, which included 180 patients (including 90 men and 90 women) with post-traumatic frontal lobe damage in the right hemisphere of the brain. The study employed documentation analysis, clinical interview and the Frontal Syndrome Behavior Questionnaire (FBInv). In accordance with the guidelines of this questionnaire, assessments were made based on an interview with the patient's caregiver in the absence of the patient. The study was conducted twice: two years (baseline) and about 20 years (follow up) after the brain injury. Results: It was found that thepatients with left frontal lobe damage were characterised by significantly higher levels of so-called negative behavioural disorders overall and in the dimensions of apathy, passivity, indifference, con cre teness, disorganisation, logopenia, apraxia of speech and perseveration, as well as significantly lower levels of loss of insight. While the patients with right frontal lobe damage were characterised by significantly higher levels of so-called positive conduct disorder overall and in the dimensions of hypersensitivity and irritability, excessive cheerfulness, unreasonable behaviour, inap propriateness and an absence of polite behaviour, aggressiveness, hy per-orality, hyper-sexuality, compulsivity, urinary and faecal incontinen ce and alien handedness. In addition, it should be noted that most of the recorded effects were found to be strong (η2> 0.14). The results indicated that 20 years after the brain injury, in terms of positive behavioural disorders overall, the group of patients with right frontal lobe damage showed a stronger decrease in disorders (η2= 0.64) over time when compared to patients with left frontal lobe damage (η2= 0.14). Conclusions: We found that in the patients 20 years after post-traumatic damage to the frontal lobes is still manifesting frontal syndrome, however its profile is dependent on whether the damage occurred in the left frontal lobe or the right frontal lobe. The Frontal Syndrome Behavior Questionnaire can be used in the diffe - rential diagnosis of frontal syndrome after damage to the frontal lobes of the right and left hemispheres of the brain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human personality represents a set of psychological traits, permanent, specifically individual, built consciously or unconsciously. The dysfunction of personality structure integrates the inability of coherent representations about the self, the difficulty of interpersonal relationship and the failure of functional adaptation in the social environment. Antisocial personality disorder (TPA) can be confirmed from the age of 15 years old, in the presence of a conduct disorder diagnosis. The discrepancies between socioeconomic levels cause young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to develop frustrations and engage in antisocial behaviors: aggressive, abusive and manipulative. Characteristic of the antisocial is the deficiency of development of the Superego, the hypertrophied Ego and the beliefs of omnipotence, uniqueness and superiority. High levels of dopamine and low levels of serotonin biologically underpin the psycho-behavioral manifestations of extroversion and neuroticism, respectively, with addictive tendencies and marked impulsivity. The antisocial personality caricatures the human condition in terms of self-awareness and self-knowledge, norms of common sense, interpersonal relationships, and genuine moral values, thus distancing them from genuine happiness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patterns of association with externalizing and internalizing features differ across heroin use and prescription opioid misuse (POM). The present study examined whether heroin use and POM display differential etiologic overlap with symptoms of conduct disorder (CD), adult antisocial behavior (AAB), and major depressive episodes (MDEs), how aggregating heroin use and POM into a single phenotype may bias results, and explored potential sex differences. Seven thousand one hundred and sixty-four individual twins from the Australian Twin Registry (ATR; 59.81% female; Mage = 30.58 years) reported lifetime heroin use, POM, CD symptoms, AABs, and MDE symptoms within a semi-structured interview. Biometric models decomposed phenotypic variance and covariance into additive genetic, common environmental, and unique environmental effects. The proportion of variance in heroin use attributable to factors shared with CD, AAB, and MDE, respectively, was 41%, 41%, and 0% for men and 26%, 19%, and 42% for women; for POM, the proportions were 33%, 35%, and 20% for men and 15%, 9%, and 13% for women. CD and AAB were more strongly genetically correlated with heroin use among women and with POM among men. MDE was more strongly genetically correlated with POM than with heroin use among men, but more strongly genetically correlated with heroin use than with POM among women. Analyses using an aggregate opioid (mis)use variable were biased toward POM, which was the more prevalent phenotype. Magnitude and source of etiologic influence may differ across forms of opioid (mis)use and sex. Disaggregating heroin use and POM in future opioid research may be warranted. General Scientific Summary: This study provides preliminary evidence of differences in the magnitude and source of etiologic associations of heroin use and prescription opioid misuse (POM) with psychopathology. Whereas conduct disorder showed differences in the source of shared etiology (genes vs. environment) across heroin use and POM, overlap with depression was solely attributable to genetic influences across both opioid types. However, depression showed differences in the magnitude of shared genetic etiology with heroin use versus POM that also differed across men and women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Conduct behaviors are frequently associated with disorders of inattention and hyperactivity. Many studies have been done in the Western population on predictors of those conduct behaviors among these children with inattention-hyperactivity. However, such studies are lacking in the Indian context. Thus, the current study examined the distinctive factors associated with conduct behaviors among children presenting with inattention-hyperactivity Disorders in the Indian setting. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was done in a Medical College of Kolkata with two groups of children and adolescents each having 50 samples diagnosed as hyperkinetic conduct disorder (HKCD) and hyperkinetic disorder of attention and activity (HKD-AA) as per International Classification of Diseases-10th version. Comparison between the two groups was made with the abbreviated (10-item) Conners' rating scale for parents (CPRS-HI) and a semi-structured socio-demographic pro forma to find out the distinctive factors associated with HKCD. Results: On comparison between the two groups, significant differences (P < 0.05) were found in items such as male sex, birth complications, inadequate social-skill development, paternal alcohol use disorders (AUD), and disturbed family ambience, which were significantly higher in HKCD. Among CPRS-HI items, impulsivity was the distinguishing feature of HKCD. However, the total severity scores of CPRS-HI were similar in both the groups. In our population, maternal substance abuse was not found, and mood and alcohol use disorders were more common than childhood externalizing disorders in the family history. Conclusion: Similar to the Western population, in our study male sex, birth complications, paternal-AUD, and disturbed family ambience are distinctively higher in conduct behaviors, but contrary to them, there is no maternal substance abuse, and severity of inattention-hyperactivity scores are similar in children with or without conduct behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conduct disorder (CD) is characterised by persistent antisocial and aggressive behaviour and typically emerges in childhood or adolescence. Although several authors have proposed that CD is a neurodevelopmental disorder, very little evidence is available about brain development in this condition. Structural brain alterations have been observed in CD, and some indirect evidence for delayed brain maturation has been reported. However, no detailed analysis of age-related changes in brain structure in youth with CD has been conducted. Using cross-sectional MRI data, this study aimed to explore differences in brain maturation in youth with CD versus healthy controls to provide further understanding of the neurodevelopmental processes underlying CD. 291 CD cases (153 males) and 379 healthy controls (160 males) aged 9–18 years (Mage = 14.4) were selected from the European multisite FemNAT-CD study. Structural MRI scans were analysed using surface-based morphometry followed by application of the ENIGMA quality control protocols. An atlas-based approach was used to investigate group differences and test for group-by-age and group-by-age-by-sex interactions in cortical thickness, surface area and subcortical volumes. Relative to healthy controls, the CD group showed lower surface area across frontal, temporal and parietal regions as well as lower total surface area. No significant group-by-age or group-by-age-by-sex interactions were observed on any brain structure measure. These findings suggest that CD is associated with lower surface area across multiple cortical regions, but do not support the idea that CD is associated with delayed brain maturation, at least within the age bracket considered here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the application of the SCRUM methodology, a popular Agile framework, in social work with children and adolescents exhibiting conduct disorders and antisocial behaviour. Traditional social work models often struggle to adapt to the rapidly changing and complex needs of this high-risk population. The SCRUM framework, with its emphasis on continuous feedback, iterative processes, and interdisciplinary collaboration, offers a flexible and dynamic approach to care. By fostering teamwork between social workers, psychologists, and medical professionals, SCRUM facilitates real-time adjustments in interventions based on the evolving needs of the child. The article examines the benefits of empowering social work teams through SCRUM's decentralized decision-making, which allows for proactive responses in crisis situations. The KIDSKöpfe gGmbH case study illustrates how SCRUM can be applied in practice, resulting in improved outcomes for children with complex behavioural issues. Despite the potential advantages, there remains a significant gap in the literature on SCRUM's application in social work, particularly in managing conduct disorders. The article concludes by emphasizing the need for further research and case studies to explore SCRUM's long-term impact in social work settings, particularly in addressing institutional barriers and regulatory challenges. The discussion highlights SCRUM's potential to revolutionize social work by creating more flexible, responsive, and collaborative systems for managing high-risk children and adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Cyberbullying has become more prevalent, more difficult to detect, and more harmful to the victims. Whereas considerable prior work has investigated predictors and consequences of cyberbullying, additional research is needed to better understand the mechanisms by which these factors relate to cyberbullying perpetration and victimization. The goal of the present study was to examine the extent to which the link between individual differences in moral disengagement and cyberbullying perpetration is mediated by low self-control and, if so, whether this mediation effect varies by individuals degree of callous-unemotional traits. METHOD: To explore these questions, we used cyberbullying, moral disengagement, self-control, and callous-unemotional traits scales and collected online survey data from a sample of 860 Chinese internet users aged 18 years old or older. RESULT: As hypothesized, a significant positive relation between moral disengagement and cyberbullying emerged that was mediated by individual differences in self-control. Additionally, evidence of moderated mediation was found. That is, the indirect effect varied by degree of callous-unemotional traits, with a significantly stronger mediation effect (and association between self-control and cyberbullying) for individuals who were relatively higher in callous-unemotional traits. CONCLUSION: We conclude that moral disengagement partially predicts cyberbullying through self-control, while callous-unemotional traits moderate the pathway between self-control and cyberbullying.

IntroductionConduct disorder (CD) is a severe mental disorder in youth. Yet, providing psychological interventions for adolescents with CD is challenging. This patient group is often characterized by risk factors for therapy dropout such as, e.g., CD symptoms and being in middle adolescence. On the other hand, little is known about characteristics of adolescents with CD who complete treatment. To gain more insight into what might become a successful therapy with adolescents with CD, this study explores baseline characteristics and drop-out occurrence in patients with CD referred to mentalization-based treatment for adolescents with CD (MBT-CD). More specifically, this study aims at identifying clusters of adolescent patients based on age, CD symptom severity and personality pathology at the beginning of treatment which may have come along with a higher or lower dropout occurrence.MethodsFollowing implications of an elbow plot, a 3-means cluster-analysis was conducted on self-report baseline data of N = 32 adolescents with CD (n = 11 dropouts, n = 21 completers) who participated in a feasibility study on MBT-CD. Additionally, in an exploratory stepwise logistic regression, variables were explored as potential predictors of dropout.ResultsCluster 1 consisted of n = 14 adolescents, of whom n = 8 (57%) dropped out. Cluster 2 consisted of n = 5 adolescents of whom 1 (20%) dropped out. Cluster 3 consisted of N = 13 adolescents, of whom only n = 2 (15%) dropped out. Cluster 2 showed descriptively the highest CD symptom severity. While adolescents in Clusters 1 and 3 showed in part similarities in CD symptom severity, personality pathology was descriptively markedly higher in Cluster 1. In the stepwise logistic regression, only intimacy personality pathology was identified as potential predictor for dropout.DiscussionThis study’s exploratory findings point to different types of adolescents with CD coming along with different chances for therapists to conduct a (successful) psychotherapy. Herein, low personality functioning in the intimacy domain, rather than CD symptoms as aggressiveness, may play a crucial role. While findings are limited by the small sample size, they may be able to shed increasing light on conducting (successful) psychotherapy with a scarcely researched patient group.

This paper by Nobakht, Steinsbekk & Wichstrom (2023) is a model of good science in the study of oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder. Their approach illustrates a thoughtful research design, statistical modeling sufficient to empirically evaluate developmental processes, and a full consideration of the theoretical implications of their work. This contrasts with a broad history of research on ODD and CD that far too often has only reified biased assumptions about these phenomena rather than rigorously scrutinizing them. Their demonstration of a unidirectional developmental flow of influence from ODD to interparental aggression, and thence to CD highlights a set of complicated developmental processes involving these disorders and their environment. It expands on evidence of the toll that ODD exerts on parents and provides guidance for more specific intervention. Standards in developmental psychopathology research should include testing bidirectional processes and employing designs that could falsify rather than reify existing beliefs. Examining key mechanisms in such processes will more rapidly generate improvements in assessment and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundCross-sectional studies have demonstrated associations between screen time and disruptive behavior disorders (conduct disorder and oppositional defiant disorder); however, prospective associations remain unknown. This study's objective was to determine the prospective associations of contemporary screen time modalities with conduct and oppositional defiant disorder in a national cohort of 9-11-year-old children.MethodsWe analyzed data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (N = 11,875). Modified Poisson regression analyses were conducted to estimate the associations between baseline child-reported screen time (total and by modality) and parent-reported conduct or oppositional defiant disorder based on the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (KSADS-5) at 1-year follow-up, adjusting for potential confounders.ResultsParticipants reported an average of 4 hr of total screen time per day at baseline. Each hour of total screen time per day was prospectively associated with a 7% higher prevalence of conduct disorder (95% CI 1.03-1.11) and a 5% higher prevalence of oppositional defiant disorder (95% CI 1.03-1.08) at 1-year follow-up. Each hour of social media per day was associated with a 62% higher prevalence of conduct disorder (95% CI 1.39-1.87). Each hour of video chat (prevalence ratio [PR] 1.21, 95% CI 1.06-1.37), texting (PR 1.19, 95% CI 1.07-1.33), television/movies (PR 1.17, 95% CI 1.10-1.25), and video games (PR 1.14, 95% CI 1.07-1.21) per day was associated with a higher prevalence of the oppositional defiant disorder. When examining thresholds, exposure to >4 hr of total screen time per day was associated with a higher prevalence of conduct disorder (69%) and oppositional defiant disorder (46%).ConclusionsHigher screen time was prospectively associated with a higher prevalence of new-onset disruptive behavior disorders. The strongest association was between social media and conduct disorder, indicating that future research and interventions may focus on social media platforms to prevent conduct disorder.

Background: Interparental aggression is believed to increase the risk of behavioral disorders in offspring, and offspring behavioral problems may forecast interparental aggression. However, these assumptions have yet to be put to a strong test. This study, therefore, examined whether increased interparental aggression predicted increased symptoms of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder (CD) from preschool to adolescence and vice versa. Methods: A sample (n = 1,077; 49.6% girls) from two birth cohorts of children in Trondheim, Norway, was assessed biennially from age 4 to 16. Children's symptoms of ODD and CD were assessed using semi‐structured clinical interviews of parents (from age 4) and children (from age 8). One of the parents reported on their own and their partner's verbal and physical aggression. A random intercept cross‐lagged model was estimated to test the within‐family relations between interparental aggression, CD, and ODD symptoms. Results: Across development, increased interparental aggression predicted increased CD symptoms 2 years later, whereas an increased number of ODD symptoms forecasted increased interparental aggression. Conclusions: The argumentative/defiant, aggressive, and vindictive behaviors seen in ODD are often directed toward parents and may take a toll on their relationship and possibly foster interparental aggression, whereas aggression between parents may promote symptoms of CD in their offspring, which commonly extend beyond the home. Incorporating effective and non‐aggressive means to solve interparental conflict into parental management programs may reduce the development of symptoms of CDs in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disruptive behavior disorders in children and adolescents are among the important disorders in the field of child and adolescent psychopathology, especially since they are known for their ability to stabilize and develop, forming more severe patterns in terms of symptoms and impact on the individual and society. Accordingly, this research paper aims to identify these disorders by clarifying their forms and clinical characteristics, while highlighting the factors that contribute to their emergence according to the explanatory mechanisms of attachment theory based on its basic principles and concepts, while clarifying the relationship of attachment patterns and the emergence of these disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Affiliating with delinquent peers may stimulate the development of antisocial behavior, especially for adolescents who are sensitive to social rewards. The current study examines whether the association between delinquent peer affiliation (DPA) and disruptive behavior interacts with functional brain correlates of reward sensitivity in early onset male adolescents delinquents. Methods: Childhood arrestees (n = 126, mean age = 17.7 [s.d. 1.6]) completed a DPA questionnaire, and participated in an fMRI study in which reward sensitivity was operationalized through responsiveness of the ventral striatum (VS), amygdala, and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) during the monetary incentive delay paradigm (reward anticipation and outcome). Symptoms of disruptive behavior disorders (DBD) were assessed through structured psychiatric interviews (Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children) with adolescents. Results: DPA had a main effect on DBD symptoms. Adolescents with high VS reward responses showed a stronger significant positive association between DPA and DBD symptoms compared to low VS responders. No evidence for an interaction effect was found for the amygdala and mPFC. Post-hoc analyses revealed the positive association between DPA and DBD was only present in males, with a diminishing effect as age increased. Conclusions: We found evidence for a biosocial interaction between DPA and reward sensitivity of the VS in relation to DBD symptom severity. This study provides the first evidence of an interaction effect between a brain mechanism and an environmental factor in relation to DBD symptoms, implying that susceptibility to influences of delinquent peers may intertwine with individual biological differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While there have been significant advances in the treatment of conduct disorder (CD), there is still a need to seek and develop therapeutic solutions that can overcome the poor long‐term prognosis. In this evidence‐based research, we evaluated the effect of immediate REACH Forgiveness training on the severity of aggressiveness among adolescents with CD. The purposive sample consisted of 32 Catholics aged 15–18 randomly placed in an experimental or nonintervention control group. Participants in the experimental group were subjected to an immediate REACH Forgiveness session for Christians, which lasted 6 h, while participants in the control group played board games and spent time together in the day care center during this time. The scores obtained by adolescents in the experimental group regarding forgiveness (decisional and emotional) and aggressiveness (anger, physical aggression, verbal aggression, and hostility) improved under REACH Forgiveness training, and these positive effects were still evident 1 month after the intervention (while the control scores did not change in a statistically significant way). The data obtained indicate that the Christian version of REACH can provide important support for other forms of psychopedagogical therapy in adolescent Catholics with CD in reducing aggressive behavior. Practitioner points: The results indicate that the Christian version of REACH forgiveness training may positively impact socio‐emotional functioning in Catholic adolescents with conduct disorder.The study reveals that REACH forgiveness training changes adolescents' decisional and emotional forgiveness with conduct disorder.One 6‐h REACH session appears to be sufficient to reduce anger, physical and verbal aggression, and hostility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]