Child Psychopathology
Oppositional-Defiant Disorder
Conduct Disorder
Social Problem-solving video
Reading: Chapter 6
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
Ways of thinking of antisocial behavior
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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):
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–
–
–
Situational
Relationship
Predatory
Psychopathological
DSM-IV Criteria
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Oppositional-Defiant Disorder (T: 6.1)
– age inappropriate stubborn, irritable, and
defiant behaviors
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Conduct Disorder CD (T: 6.2)
– persistent pattern of violating basic rights
of others and societal norms or rules

Antisocial personality disorder (<18 yrs)
– repetitive aggressive, law-breaking
behaviors
– signs of psychopathy (no guilt or remorse)
Gender differences
For CD, 3:1 male-female ratio
 Boys show earlier onset and greater
persistence
 Gender disparity decreases in
adolescence
 Early signs:
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– Boys - aggression and theft
– Girls - early menarche, sexually precocious
– Note: CD boys & girls are drawn together
Developmental pathways

Life-Course-Persistent Pathway
Difficult
Attentional
Oppositional
Conduct
Contact
Temperament
Problems
Behavior
Disorder
with Law

Figure 6.7: Patterson’s 1992 Dev’t Model
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Adolescent Limited Pathway
CD arises
during teen
years
Young
adulthood:
“Normal”
adjustment
What kind of trouble? How permanent
is impact? Life trajectory?
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
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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
Family factors
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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)

Societal factors
Poverty, crime areas, residential
mobility, no sense of community
 Media influence: Reinforces preexisting 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)
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Treatment

Poor prognosis for antisocial behaviors
& LCP
– this includes psychotherapy, group therapy,
tutoring, punishment, boot camps
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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