Also in this Issue:
What Causes
Persistent and Severe Antisocial Behaviour?
Aguilar,
B., Sroufe, A.L., Egeland, B., & Carlson, E. (2000). Distinguishing
the early-onset/persistent and adolescent-onset antisocial behaviour types:
from birth to 16 years. Development and Psychopathology, 12, 109-132.
It
has been suggested that youth with antisocial behaviour can be divided
into two types; those whose antisocial behaviour tends to last throughout
their life (life course persistent LCP), and those who show antisocial
behaviour only during adolescence (adolescence limited AL).
The
LCP type show persistent, severe and frequent antisocial behaviour across
time and situation. It has been suggested that these youth are born with
neuropsychological deficiencies which adversely effect such functioning
as; reading, writing, listening, problem solving, speech, memory, attention
and impulsivity. These deficits make it harder to raise these very difficult
children, and when these youth are raised without understanding and support
their difficulties are magnified often resulting in antisocial and aggressive
behaviour.
In
contrast to LCP, the AL youth whose antisocial behaviour is limited to
adolescence, do not have any neuropsychological deficiencies and displays
of antisocial behaviour is an attempt to show their autonomy and independence.
This
study attempts to test the above classification of youth with antisocial
behaviour. The participants in this study were drawn from an ongoing 20
year longitudinal study. It included 267 first born children and their
mothers from high-risk urban populations. These children were followed
into adolescence, given a variety of tests and assessed at different ages.
The data included; psychological tests, interviews, questionnaires and
observations of mother-child interaction.
Results
The
results of this study do not support the above classification based on
the presence of neuropsychological deficits in serious and persistent
antisocial youth. This study suggests that the factor which distinguishes
the two groups (LCP and AL) is psychological history in early years and
not temperament and neuropsychological functioning. It is suggested that
normal development of neuropsychological systems require a supportive
and growth promoting environment. Therefore, a child will show deficits
in neuropsychological functioning, as a result of growing up in an adverse
environment.
The early
onset/persistent (EOP) group comparable to the LCP group were characterise
by the following:
- They were more likely to
come from single family households.
- They have experienced physical
abuse, neglect and inadequate parenting.
- Mothers of this group were
less sensitive and less supportive
Comment
The
importance of temperament and neuropsychological deficits in explaining
persistent and frequent antisocial behaviour should not be ruled out.
The authors agree that the study has a number of limitations, such as
the small sample size and some of the measures of temperament and neuropsychological
functioning may not be the best. Most research related to the classification
of antisocial youth seems to suggest that persistent and severe antisocial
behaviour is associated with difficult temperament and deficits, specifically
when children with these deficits are raised in an adverse environment.
Parent's
Psychopathology and ADHD Children
Pfiffner,
L., McBurnett, K., Lahey, B., Loeber, R., Green, S., Frick, P., Rathouz,
P. (1999). Association of parental psychopathology to the comorbid disorders
of boys with attention deficit hyperactivity. Journal of Consulting
and Clinical Psychology, 67, 881-893.
It
is known that more than half of children with ADHD also suffer from other
externalising disorders such as conduct disorders (CD) or oppositional
defiant disorders (ODD). This study examined the presence of internalising
disorders (anxiety and depression) in ADHD children and found these disorders
to be as common in ADHD children as externalising disorders. It also examined
the relationship of externalising disorders and internalising disorders
in ADHD children, to parental psychopathology. Parent and child interviews
were performed to assess the relationship.
Results
- As many as a third to a
half of the children who meet the diagnostic criteria for ADHD also
have been found to meet the criteria for a depressive or anxiety disorder
on the basis of parent and child interviews.
- Parental psychopathology
appears to be associated with child disorders in a specific manner among
children with ADHD:
- child internalising
disorders are strongly related to internalising disorders in parents.
- child externalising
disorders are strongly related externalising disorders in fathers,
but not mothers.
- There is no evidence from
this study that cross-categorical relationships existed:
- -parental externalising
disorders were not related to internalising disorders in children.
- -parental internalising
disorders were not related to externalising disorders in children.
- Depression and anxiety disorders
in parents were related to anxiety disorders in children, but depression
in parents was not related to depressive disorders in children.
Comment
Very
often the presence of internalising disorders such as anxiety and depression
is not recognised in children with externalising disorders. This study,
as other studies have shown, suggest that children with the externalising
disorders often suffer from anxiety and depression. It is important to
look for these symptoms when treating antisocial, aggressive children.
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Institute
for the study of Antisocial behaviour in Youth (lAY) 
