No description available.

The study was based on the clinical data summaries ("item sheets") of children who attended the Maudsley Hospital during the late 1960s and early 1970s. These summaries were used to identify a group of 80 child and adolescent psychiatric patients with an operationally defined depressive syndrome. The depressed children were individually matched with 80 non-depressed psychiatric controls on demographic variables and non-depressive childhood symptoms by a computer algorithm. At follow-up, on average 18 years after the initial contact, information was obtained on the adult psychiatric status of 82% of the total sample. Adult assessments were made "blind" to case/control status, and included standardized measures of "lifetime" psychiatric disorder and psychosocial functioning. The depressed group was at increased risk for affective disorder in adult life, and had elevated risks of psychiatric hospitalization and psychiatric treatment. Depressed children were no more likely than control children to have non-depressive adult psychiatric disorders. These findings suggest that there is substantial specificity in the continuity of affective disturbances between childhood and adult life.

The purpose of this dissertation study was to investigate the direct and interactive relationships between depression and conduct problems and substance abuse treatment outcomes in a national sample of adolescents participating in substance abuse treatment. This study involved a secondary analysis of data from the National Institute on Drug Abuse's- Drug Abuse Treatment Outcome Study for Adolescence (DATOS-A), a multi-site, longitudinal study of substance abusing adolescents seeking treatment. Participants completed a battery of self-report and interview measures at treatment intake including the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children Revised (DISC-R), which assessed depression and conduct problems. Adolescents also completed structured interviews relating to substance use at intake and 12 months after treatment. Results from the multiple regression analyses supported hypotheses relating to greater conduct problems predicting greater post-treatment substance use. Results from the multiple regression analyses failed to support study hypotheses relating to depression and the interaction of conduct problems and depression predicting post-treatment substance use. Significant control variables included age, length of treatment, and intake level of substance use. Results are discussed within the context of the relevant literature.

Conduct Disorder is a disruptive behavior disorder listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition-Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR). Considering the prevalence and severity of Conduct Disorder and the social and economic impact, research is needed to address subtype and comorbidity. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the impact of Conduct Disorder age of onset by comparing neuropsychological functioning between adolescents diagnosed with Conduct Disorder, childhood-onset and adolescents diagnosed with the adolescent onset subtype of Conduct Disorder. In addition, the study will investigate the impact of a comorbid Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) diagnosis. Exploration into the neuropsychological functioning of Conduct Disorder while considering comorbidity with ADHD is needed to clarify cognitive functioning profiles of children and adolescents diagnosed with Conduct Disorder. / text

No description available.

Therapeutic alliance is a robust predictor of future therapeutic outcomes. While treatment of normal children and adolescents is often hard, treating antisocial youth is especially difficult because of the social, cognitive, and emotional deficits experienced by these youth. This study investigated whether differing levels of callous-unemotional (CU) traits influenced the formation of therapeutic alliance in a sample of 51 adjudicated youth in juvenile institutions. Also, we tested whether therapeutic alliance influenced success in the institution and whether this association differed based on levels of CU traits. Results revealed that CU traits and selfreported delinquency were both modestly related to institutional infractions. Children low on both dimensions showed the lowest levels of institutional infractions. Additionally, these findings suggest that children high on both CU traits and delinquency reported better therapeutic alliance, but that youth with high CU traits committed more institutional infractions, despite their level of therapeutic alliance.

No description available.

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to examine the origins of the Multicultural Relational Model of therapy and demonstrate the application of this model in the clinical setting. Subjects were two ethnic minority children, a Hispanic boy, age nine, and a mixed-race boy, age 10, who was adopted by an African American family.

The early onset of externalizing behaviour problems (EBP) is associated with negative outcomes later in life, such as poor mental health, substance use, crime, and unemployment. Some children also develop conduct disorder (CD), entailing a high disease and economic burden for both individuals and society. Most studies on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of parenting interventions targeting EBP among children have evaluated selective or indicated preventive interventions, or treatment strategies. Evidence on the effectiveness of universally delivered parenting programmes is controversial, partly due to methodological difficulties. The overall aim of this thesis was to 1) address the methodological challenges of evaluating universal parenting programmes, and to 2) employ different health economic methods to evaluate parenting interventions for EBP and CD in children. Study I indicated that offering low intensity levels of Triple P universally, with limited intervention attendance, does not result in improved outcomes, and may not be a worthwhile use of public resources. Study II showed that using the distribution of an outcome variable makes it possible to estimate the impact of public health interventions at the population level. Study III supports offering bibliotherapy to initially target CP in children, whereas Comet could be offered to achieve greater effects based on decision-makers’ willingness to make larger investments. Cope could be offered when targeting symptom improvement, rather than clinical caseness. The economic decision model in Study IV demonstrated that Triple P for the treatment of CD appears to represent good value for money, when delivered in a Group format, but less likely, when delivered in an Individual format. To reduce the burden of mental health problems in childhood, cost-effective and evidence-based interventions should be provided on a continuum from prevention through early intervention to treatment. We believe our results can assist decision-makers in resource allocation to this field.