The Heterogeneity of Disruptive Behavior Disorders – Implications for Neurobiological Research and Treatment

Disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs) are reflected by a great variety of symptoms ranging from impulsive-hot-tempered quarrels to purposeful and goal-directed acts of cruelty. A growing body of data indicates that there are neurobiological factors that increase the risk for developing DBDs. In this review, we give a broad overview of recent studies investigating physiological, neural, genetic factors, and specific neurotransmitter systems. We also discuss the impact of psychosocial risk and consider the effects of gene-environment interactions. Due to the heterogeneity of DBDs, it is concluded that specific subtypes of disruptive behavior should be considered both in terms their biological basis and in regard to specific treatment needs

Perceived Parental Characteristics And Neighborhood Support: How Do They Relate To Adolescents\u27 Externalizing Behavior Problem

Externalizing behavior problems are related to many problematic outcomes for children and adolescents in their home, school, and community settings. Given the ramifications of difficulties related to externalizing behavior problems, the present study examines the relationships among adolescents\u27 externalizing behavior problems, characteristics of adolescents\u27 families, and their perceived neighborhood support in a sample of adolescents who are in the Sixth through Eighth Grades. As part of this study, adolescents were assessed one time in their school setting with a set of brief questionnaires. In particular, adolescents completed measures assessing their levels of externalizing behavior problems, characteristics of their families, their perceptions of neighborhood support and of their teachers, and their ratings of their own acculturation. Results suggest that, although a moderation relationship does not exist between parental warmth, neighborhood support, and the development of externalizing behavior problems, variables such as maternal warmth, overall parental emotional support, and overall neighborhood support are important predictors of the development of externalizing behavior problems. Further regression analyses reveal that, in addition to neighborhood and parental characteristics, adolescents\u27 perceived social acceptance and global self-worth are significant predictors of adolescents\u27 externalizing behavior problems. In conclusion, when identifying adolescents who are at risk for the development of externalizing behavior problems, an ecological conceptualization encompassing culture, community, and home environments can be helpful

Sexual and Non-Sexual Juvenile Offenders: Developmental Antecedents and Behavioral Outcomes

The three papers included in this dissertation are based on data from a larger cross-sectional survey study which explores the causes and patterns of sexual aggression by adolescent males incarcerated in residential treatment. The sample of interest included 504 male adolescents who were adjudicated delinquent and sanctioned to residential treatment for the commission of sexual and non-sexual crimes. Paper 1 includes a descriptive snapshot of the individual and family characteristics, childhood experiences, child maltreatment histories, childhood exposure to nudity and sexual activity, sexual crime characteristics, as well as non-sexual crime characteristics of juvenile sex offenders in residential treatment. Paper 2 focuses on the family characteristics and childhood experiences that predict group membership in juvenile sex offender and juvenile delinquent groups. Finally, paper 3 explores those factors associated with the severity of sexual crime as well as the frequency of general delinquency among juvenile sex offenders in residential treatment

Family Preservation Journal, 1998, Volume 3, Issue 2. (Entire issue)

Entire issue (large pdf file) Articles include: Getting to Know You: Psychoeducational Groups to Counter Social Isolation of Neglectful Mothers. Marianne Berry Intensive Family Preservation in Children\u27s Mental Health: Predictors of Placement. Cathryn C. Potter An Innovative Family Preservation Program in an African American Community: Longitudinal Analysis. Patricia Ciliberti Chipping Away at the Monolith: Dispelling the Myth of Father Noninvolvement in Children\u27s Early Literacy Development. Robert W. Orti

Adolescent Personality Moderates the Testosterone-Externalizing Association

In considering moderating factors of the complex association between testosterone, a steroid hormone, and externalizing behavior, previous research has mainly focused on environmental influences, including interpersonal relationships. I tested the hypothesis that self-regulatory personality, an individual-level variable that is relevant for other hormone-behavior associations, moderates the testosterone-externalizing behavior association in adolescence. I examined evidence for this moderation across age and subfactors of externalizing behavior (aggression and rule-breaking). Parents reported on their child’s personality and psychopathology for a sample of 106 adolescents (56 % female) aged 13-18 (M = 16.01 years, SD = 1.29 years). Adolescent testosterone levels were measured via passive drool samples. As hypothesized, both trait Agreeableness and Conscientiousness moderated the testosterone-externalizing problem relationships. Specifically, high testosterone predicted higher levels of Externalizing Behaviors, but only for adolescents low in Agreeableness and Conscientiousness. In addition, self-regulatory personality acted as both a risk and a resiliency factor, with high levels of Conscientiousness—in combination with high testosterone—predicting lower than average levels of rule-breaking. These findings are similar to previously reported results regarding interpersonal relationships, which raises the question of how environmental and endogenous factors might jointly interact with high testosterone. Additionally, this work highlights the relevance of including personality moderators in future research on hormone-behavior associations.Psychology, Department o

Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Community-Based Youth Non-Profit Organization at Increasing Prosocial Behavior and Decreasing Antisocial Behavior among Young Boys: A Pilot Study

Community-based youth non-profit organizations (NPOs) have become increasingly popular for the provision of youth prevention and intervention services, yet many youth NPOs lack the resources to undergo formal evaluation. Further, most existing program evaluations do not consider individual characteristics of the child or the child’s exposure to stressors. The current pilot study sought to evaluate the extent to which boys participated in 1:1 mentoring and other program activities at the Son of a Saint (SOAS) NPO, an organization seeking to provide positive male role models for fatherless young boys. In addition, the current study examined the effects of program involvement on both prosocial (i.e., academic performance) and antisocial (i.e., aggression and delinquency) outcomes, as well as the moderating role of callous-unemotional (CU) traits and exposure to trauma/stressors on study outcomes. Data were collected from mothers (N = 37) and boys (N = 27) at the first assessment point, and from mothers (N = 21) one year later. Results of bivariate correlational and regression analyses at T1 indicated that boys who have been part of SOAS for shorter durations had higher levels of participation overall, and that behavioral/academic problems were associated with more program participation. Results at T2 indicated that participation in a greater variety of activities was related to lower levels of antisocial behavior. No significant interactions were detected for either CU traits or trauma exposure in the current sample. Implications of findings are discussed with regard to future program evaluation at SOAS. Detailed recommendations for overcoming the study limitations, particularly regarding the small sample size, are provided

Reducing Recidivism In Serious And Violent Youthful Offenders: Fact, Fiction, And A Path Forward

Since the 1990s, there has been a fear of the serious and violent juvenile offender and the alleged menace they pose to society. In this Article, we begin with some truths about the serious and violent juvenile offender to correct the widespread myths and propaganda that have led to some ill-advised policies. We then define the problem, using research to show how these youth can be identified, even before the onset of their serious offending. We then proceed beyond this fear and offer examples of multiple evidence-based programs that work to guide these youth to regain their future and become productive adults. We do not limit our suggestions to only those youth already engaged in these behaviors but also discuss the importance of early identification of youth on pathways to trouble and thus address prevention as well as rehabilitation. We end with several key messages that we hope will move the field forward as we strive to expand society’s protective systems to beneficently include these youth who are also in need of help and protection

The validity and reliability of the violence risk scale-youth version (VRS-YV)

The present study examines the validity, reliability, and psychometric properties of a newly developed violence risk assessment and treatment planning measure for youth – the Violence Risk Scale-Youth Version (VRS-YV; Lewis, Wong, & Gordon, 2004). Composed of 4 static and 19 dynamic items, the VRS-YV is designed to assess violence risk, identify targets for treatment, and evaluate changes in risk as a function of treatment. Change is evaluated through a modified application of Prochaska et al.’s (1992) Transtheoretical Model of Change. Stages of change ratings made pre- and post-treatment are summed across dynamic items to yield change scores. The VRS-YV, Youth Level of Services/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI; Hoge & Andrews, 2003), and Psychopathy Checklist-Youth Version (PCL-YV; Forth, Kosson, & Hare, 2003) were each rated from file information on a sample of 133 young offenders (68 males and 65 females) who had received assessment and/or treatment services from a community mental health facility in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. All youths had been charged or convicted of a violent offense. This tended to be a rather high risk sample with a large proportion of Aboriginal youths.The VRS-YV demonstrated good internal consistency (VRS-YV total á = .91) and interrater reliability (VRS-YV total ICC = .90), while most of the individual items had acceptable inter-item (mean r = .32) and item total correlations (range r = .30 to .70). Male and female youths displayed few differences on the three risk measures or their respective scale components; however, Aboriginal youths scored significantly higher on these measures than non-Aboriginal youths, with the trend being particularly strong among males.The VRS-YV showed good convergence with the YLS/CMI and PCL-YV. The three measures significantly postdicted violent offending, that is, youth who were repeat violent offenders tended to score significantly higher on each of the measures, than first time violent youth (i.e., those who had no previous history of violence). Similar postdiction was observed for general criminal offending. Recidivism data were available for roughly half of the total sample (n = 62) over a mean follow-up time of approximately 2 years. Preliminary evidence was obtained for the predictive accuracy of the VRS-YV with respect to violent and general recidivism. Predictive accuracy statistics were comparable to those obtained for the YLS/CMI and PCL-YV, with correlations generally being in the .40 to .50 range and Areas Under the Curve (AUCs) in the mid .70s to low .80s. There was also a significant relationship between VRS-YV risk level and both violent and general recidivism. Survival analyses further confirmed that the VRS-YV was able to differentiate those who were more likely to recidivate and more likely to do so more quickly.Change ratings were available for a small subsample of youth (n = 39), which were used to compute post-treatment dynamic ratings. Youths appeared to demonstrate some degree of change, indicating possible therapeutic progress after receiving treatment services. While the trends for the change results tended to be in the expected direction across several of the analyses, the small nature of the sample precluded meaningful interpretation of these findings.In sum, these data provide preliminary evidence for the ability of the VRS-YV to evaluate risk and predict violent and general recidivism with comparable accuracy to that of two well-known and psychometrically robust instruments in the field. The results further demonstrate that the VRS-YV, YLS/CMI, and PCL-YV can have predictive validity for future violent and general recidivism among a diverse sample of youth that includes both male and female, Aboriginal, and community-based youth, living in the province of Saskatchewan. Limitations and future directions are discussed