Abstract
Is conduct disorder (CD) as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) a unitary entity, or do variants of CD exist? We addressed this question, using data collected from the parents of 1,669 Australian boys, aged 6-17. Parents were interviewed to assess DSM-IVConduct Disorder (DSM-IV CD) criteria. Results revealed 2 subfactors of DSM-IV CD symptoms, made up of overt behaviors (e.g., initiating physical fights) and covert behaviors (e.g., stealing without confrontation). Ordinary least squares regressions showed the 2 CD subfactors to be significantly and uniquely predicted by Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL; T. M. Achenbach, 1991a, 1991b) syndromes labeled Aggressive Behavior and Delinquent Behavior, respectively. The results are discussed in terms of the utility of differentiating these 2 variants of CD in future editions of the DSM.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 647-654 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology |
| Volume | 31 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 2003 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The Child and Adolescent Component of the National Survey of Mental Health and Well-Being was funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care and supported by a national collaborating group of researchers in Australia. Robert F. Krueger was supported by National Institute of Mental Health Grant MH65137.
Keywords
- Antisocial behavior
- Child behavior checklist
- Conduct disorder
- Factor analysis