Child Psychopathology

1
Child Psychopathology

• Oppositional-Defiant Disorder
• Conduct Disorder
• Reading Chapter 6

2
Does Bart Simpson have a Disruptive Behavior
Disorder?
7G02 I will not waste chalk 7G03 I will not
skateboard in the halls 7G04 I will not burp in
class 7G06 I will not instigate revolution 7G09
I will not draw naked ladies in class 7G07 I did
not see Elvis 7G10 I will not call my teacher
"Hot Cakes" 7G13 Garlic gum is not funny 7G12
They are laughing at me, not with me 7G01 I will
not yell "Fire" in a crowded classroom 7F03 I
will not encourage others to fly 7F03x I will
not fake my way through life 7F02 Tar is not a
play thing 7F01 I will not Xerox my butt
3
Ways of thinking of antisocial behavior

• Overt vs. covert
• Destructive vs. nondestructive
• Verbal vs. physical aggression
• Instrumental vs. hostile aggression
• Direct vs. indirect aggression
• Reactive vs. proactive agression
• Four types of youth violence (Figure 6.4)
• Situational
• Relationship
• Predatory
• Psychopathological

4
DSM-IV Criteria

• Oppositional-Defiant Disorder (T 6.1)
• age inappropriate stubborn, irritable, and
  defiant behaviors
• Conduct Disorder CD (T 6.2)
• persistent pattern of violating basic rights of
  others and societal norms or rules
• Antisocial personality disorder (lt18 yrs)
• repetitive aggressive, law-breaking behaviors
• signs of psychopathy (no guilt or remorse)

5
Gender differences

• For CD, 31 male-female ratio
• Boys show earlier onset and greater persistence
• Gender disparity decreases in adolescence
• Early signs
• Boys - aggression and theft
• Girls - early menarche, sexually precocious
• Note CD boys girls are drawn together

6
Developmental pathways

• Life-Course-Persistent Pathway
• Figure 6.7 Pattersons 1992 Devt Model
• Adolescent Limited Pathway

Difficult Temperament
Attentional Problems
Oppositional Behavior
Conduct Disorder
Contact with Law
Young adulthood Normal adjustment
CD arises during teen years
What kind of trouble? How permanent is impact?
Life trajectory?
7
Biological Causes of CD

• Temperament, impulsivity, emotional lability,
  lack of persistance, restlessness, negativity,
  poor coping
• Genetic contributions for overt behaviors and LCP
  path (parent crminality)
• Insensitivity to rewards
• Low psychological arousal autonomic reactivity
  Sensation-seeking

8
Social cognitive factors

• Cognitive deficiencies and distortions
• misinterpretation of neutral events as hostile
• Bill he looked at me wrong
• Deficits may occur encoding and interpreting
• Problem solving
• searching for R, choosing one, implementing

9
Family factors

• Dysfunctional family functioning
• Family conflict, violence, inconsistent or
  ineffective parenting, transitions, antisocial
  family values (e.g., police are stupid)
• Bidirectional causality
• Coercive parenting cycle
• Insecure attachment may predict antisocial
  behavior
• Other family stress (e.g., financial)

10
Societal factors

• Poverty, crime areas, residential mobility, no
  sense of community
• Media influence Reinforces pre-existing
  tendencies towards violent or exploitive acts
• Culture and ethnicity are confounded with SES,
  may exacerbate problems in teen years (gangs
  turf may be along ethnic lines)

11
Treatment

• Poor prognosis for antisocial behaviors LCP
• this includes psychotherapy, group therapy,
  tutoring, punishment, boot camps
• Early intervention for ODD and CD
• Parent-management training
• Cognitive problem solving skills training focus
  on distortions and deficiencies
• Multi-systemic treatment Family system
  manipulation