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The study of adolescent psychopathy has grown from being a fringe element in psychology to a mainstream topic for research. One issue that divides scholars centers on the relationship between conduct problems and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and their relationship to adolescent psychopathy. Some state the former factor has the most crucial relationship while other scholars categorically disagree, claiming that ADHD is the strongest. The majority of adolescents assessed for adolescent psychopathy are residents at state training schools; however, many of the behaviors associated with psychopathy are seen in students assigned to their district’s alternative educational setting. In order to gauge which factor had strongest relationship with psychopathy, 80 male students, ranging in age from 12 to 18 years old, placed at interim alternative educational settings for misbehavior were assessed using the Antisocial Process Screening Device---Youth Edition (APSD-Y) to determine level of psychopathy. In addition, ADHD was assessed using both the Behavior Assessment Scale for Children- Second Edition (BASC-2) and Conners-Wells’ Adolescent Self-Report Scale-L (CASS:L); likewise, both instruments were used assess conduct problems. Each assessment instrument used a self-report method. Results indicated that of the two factors, conduct problems had a statistically significant relationship with adolescent psychopathy, while the relationship between ADHD’s and psychopathy was nonsignificant. The implications are straight forward. Adolescents with impulsivity problems are regularly sent to interim alternative educational settings for misbehaving; however, the findings of this study indicate that impulsivity alone should not be the focus when considering pathways to psychopathy. Rather, conduct problems should be considered a contributing factor as it shares a significant relationship with psychopathy. A secondary analysis using an Independent T-test was used to explore the differences between the Low and High scoring APSD-Y groups. Clinical significance was found between the two APSD-Y groups with the BASC-2 Externalizing and the CASS:L Externalizing subscales, as well as the BASC-2 Conduct Problems and the CASS-Conduct Problem scores.

Persistent conduct problems, which include aggressive, disruptive, and antisocial behaviors, are associated with a range of negative correlates and sequelae, including school failure and dropout, depression, and substance use. Problematic peer relationships, such as peer rejection and deviant peer affiliation (DPA), have been implicated in both the development and persistence of conduct problems. In particular, the impact of peer rejection has been highlighted in childhood, whereas the effects of DPA have received more attention during adolescence. Conduct problems, peer rejection, and DPA are dynamic processes that change across development, and understanding the relations among these processes is particularly important among contextually disadvantaged youth who are at elevated risk for aggression. Nevertheless, limited research has considered both peer rejection and DPA as they relate to conduct problems in a single study and even less research has looked at potential moderators of the relations among these processes. To address these gaps, I empirically evaluated a developmental model of conduct problems and peer processes, focusing on individual differences across childhood and adolescence. The goal of the present study was to examine continuity and discontinuity of trajectories of conduct problems and problematic peer relations from childhood through adolescence and to identify contextual factors that impact continuity/discontinuity of risk. Participants were 678 urban children recruited in fall of 1st grade for the second generation Prevention Intervention Research Center's Periodic Follow-up of Two Preventative Interventions. Aggression and peer rejection in childhood were modeled separately first, followed by modeling the joint trajectories of aggression and rejection. Four distinct joint trajectories of aggression-rejection in grades 1 to 3 were identified: high decreasing aggression-high stable rejection, low increasing aggression-moderate increasing rejection, moderate decreasing aggression-moderate decreasing rejection, and low stable aggression-low stable rejection. As with the childhood analyses, aggression and DPA in adolescence were modeled separately first, followed by modeling the joint trajectories of aggression and DPA. Three distinct joint trajectories of aggression-deviant peer affiliation in grades 6 to 12 were identified: high decreasing aggression-low stable DPA, moderate stable aggression-high stable DPA, and low stable aggression-low stable DPA. Next, latent transition patterns from high- and low-risk childhood aggression-rejection trajectories to adolescent aggression-DPA trajectories pointed to evidence for both continuity and discontinuity of risk along aggression-DPA trajectories. Introducing contextual variables (i.e., perceived neighborhood adversity, community violence exposure, and poor parental monitoring) into the transition model suggested that higher levels of contextual risk were associated with elevated risk for transition to higher-risk adolescent aggression-DPA classes (i.e., high decreasing aggression-low stable DPA, moderate stable aggression-high stable DPA). / Psychology

Although the extant literature suggests that associations with deviant peers (ADP) contribute to the persistence and exacerbation of adolescent conduct problems (CP) and substance use (SU), few studies have investigated processes through which these relations develop, the stability of ADP, risk factors for ADP, or prospective relations among patterns of ADP, CP, and SU across adolescence and substance use disorder (SUD) in early adulthood. Relations among ADP with CP and ADP with SU may be due to selection processes (i.e., youth select into ADP groups) and/or socialization processes (youth are influenced by deviant peers once they enter the ADP group). In addition, selection and socialization processes may be moderated by neuropsychological and temperamental (i.e., emotionality) factors, though there is a dearth of literature examining moderators of these processes. The present study addressed these gaps in the literature by examining five research aims: (1) identify subgroups of youth who vary in type and levels of ADP and CP/SU at three different ages using latent class analysis, (2) investigate the stability of ADP and CP/SU subgroup membership using latent transition analysis, (3) examine the prospective relations among ADP and CP/SU subgroup membership, (4) investigate potential neuropsychological and emotion regulation moderators of selection and socialization processes, and (5) evaluate prospective prediction to SUD in early adulthood from patterns of ADP and CP/SU subgroup membership across adolescence. Participants were youth who participated in a large-scale research project conducted through the Center for Education and Drug Abuse Research at the University of Pittsburgh. Youth and their families completed multiple assessments, beginning when youth were 10-12 years old, followed by assessments at 12-14, 16, and 22 years old. Results indicate (a) deviant peer groups vary based on type and severity of deviant behavior; (b) deviant peer group involvement increased across adolescence and continuity of deviant peer involvement was evident; (c) youth selected peers based on similar levels of deviant behavior across ages 10 to 16 years, but were influenced by these deviant peers to engage in CP and/or SU from ages 12-14 to 16 years; (d) relations between youth deviant behaviors and later selection of deviant friends differed according to levels of youth neuropsychological functioning and temperamental emotionality; and (e) earlier involvement with deviant peers, involvement with deviant peer groups defined by severe CP and SU, and youth engagement in both CP and SU were related to the greatest risk for SUD in early adulthood. / Psychology

Background: Conduct problems (CPs), a persistent pattern of challenging, oppositional, defiant or aggressive behaviour are a significant concern to educators, families and other professionals. CPs in preschool children are related to poorer educational and social outcomes in addition to a range of behavioural and emotional difficulties. Although there is evidence for hereditary and temperamental influences, parental factors are widely considered to be significant in the development of CPs. Parents experiencing psychological or social distress are considered to be at risk for challenging behaviour in their children. Psychologists and other theorists have suggested several possible reasons for this association. Firstly, it is possible that parents in distress have difficulty managing stress and as a result use harsh, inconsistent or coercive approaches to parenting. Secondly, parents with children who have CPs may be low in parental self efficacy, a consistent belief in their capacity to parent, which leads them to parent ineffectively and inconsistently. A third possibility is that parents in distress struggle to form stable attachments with their children which can lead to later behavioural difficulties. Finally, it is possible that parent’s distress is influenced by external contextual factors which also influence children such as family or social conflict. Studies suggest that training programmes for the parents of preschool children are effective in reducing child behaviour problems. Training approaches are influenced by a combination of psychological theories including behaviourist, social-cognitive, attachment and ecosystemic approaches. There have been many quantitative evaluations supporting the use of parent training programmes (PTPs). However, there has been limited inquiry into the process of PTPs from the perspective of those who attend them. Aims: The first part of this study was designed to evaluate vulnerability factors related to conduct problems; parental self efficacy, stress and child behaviour problems over the course of a community parent training programme designed to help participants to understand and manage the behaviour of young children. The overall research aim was to evaluate the outcomes and process, using different methodologies to address several questions. A realist methodology was applied to evaluating: 1. was there an association between parental stress, parental self efficacy and child behaviour problems at the start of the programme consistent with the established theory? 2. Did the parents attending the course experience higher than expected levels of stress and child behaviour problems? 3. Did quantitative and qualitative data indicate that these vulnerability factors changed over the duration of the course? Finally, an interpretivist methodology was used to explore how parents of young children evaluated as at risk of challenging behaviour described the experience of learning in the programme. Methods: The study utilised a pragmatic approach to evaluation with mixed methods and differing methodologies. At the start of the programme, a cohort of 38 parents agreed to participate in the study prior to the programme and completed self report measures related to parental stress and parental self efficacy. Parents with concerns about the behaviour of a child aged over three also completed a questionnaire relating to child behaviour problems. Of the original cohort, 27 completed self report measures at the end of the programme. 17 parents completed the same measures at a follow up meeting at the Children’s Centre, five to six weeks after the programme was completed. At this meeting 16 parents were interviewed to discuss their experience of the programme and any subsequent changes which had occurred. Results The results of the first part of the evaluation suggested a significant relationship between parental self-efficacy and stress and between stress and child behaviour problems. However, there was no statistical association between self-efficacy and child behaviour problems, as expected. This tentatively indicates that parental self-efficacy is less important in the development of child behaviour problems than has been previously suggested. The analysis of stress data at the start of the programme indicated that the frequency of parents reporting moderate to extremely severe stress was 4.42 times that which would be expected in a typical British cohort. At the start of the programme, frequency of child behaviour problems in the cohort were 5.9 times higher with conduct problems being 9 times what would be expected based on British norms. This suggests that the programme is being accessed by parents whose children are evidencing behaviour problems and, in particular, conduct problems. However, methodological issues are likely to have led to a slight overestimate of relative prevalence of child CPs in the cohort. Results indicated that parents reported significantly increased self efficacy, significantly reduced stress and child behaviour problems, including conduct problems, between the start and end of the programme. Thematic analysis and subsequent content analysis of outcome themes from interviews suggested that the majority of parents interviewed identified changes in parenting behaviour, knowledge, confidence, reduced stress and improved child behaviour as outcomes from the programme. However, changes in the quantitative data were not observed as frequently, reliably or to the same extent in the interview subgroup as they were in the main cohort, suggesting a sampling bias or a discrepancy in findings between methods. The self report data and interviews for all interviewees were then reviewed and interviews with six parents evaluated as having moderate to high stress, social or psychological difficulties and possible child behaviour problems were sampled. These were then re-analysed using a rigorous inductive approach to Thematic Analysis to identify emergent themes relating to the experience of participating and learning through the programme. Six themes emerged from analysis including; Understanding Difficulties, Identifying and Connecting, New Knowledge, Stopping and Thinking, Approach and Interaction and Reconstructing. The Understanding Difficulties theme described the different ways in which parents understood of their difficulties relating to themselves, their children and others which motivated them to attend the programme. The Identifying and Connecting theme described the importance to parents of personal identification with several aspects of the programme in terms of “being understood” in addition to identifying connections with established support, learning objectives and personal development goals. New Knowledge was categorised into three sub-themes of theoretical, practical and contextual. Contextual knowledge was constructed as understanding the experience of other parents, for example, identifying that other parents had similar difficulties. Theoretical knowledge about child behaviour and development encouraged parents to “stop and think” about the reasons for their children’s behaviour. Practical knowledge was constructed as parenting strategies which, when used, helped parents to feel more confident in themselves, more relaxed and more in control. The Stopping and Thinking theme described parents withholding action and considering the motivations for their children’s behaviour or the best approach to interacting with them. Approach and Interaction described changes to the way parents interacted with their children. The parents in question described changed or reconstructed understandings of their children, themselves and their difficulties as a result of participating in the programme. The theoretical implications of analysing the learning experience are that it highlights the importance of personal identification with the course objectives and experience.

In an attempt to understand girls' involvement conduct problems, this dissertation first reviews two existing theoretical approaches that provide an explanation for the development of conduct problems. Specifically, the available literature on the development and correlates of conduct problems in boys suggests the subtypes of conduct disorder represent two developmental trajectories. The adolescent-onset pathway is associated with deviant peers and few characterological problems, where as the childhood-onset pathway is associated with emotion regulation deficits, negative parenting, callous and unemotional traits, and neurological deficits. Research also suggests a gender-specific model, the delayed-onset model, for the development of conduct problems in girls. Following this theoretical review, differential predictions made by the competing theoretical models are tested in a community sample of school-aged girls and boys. Participants were 202 children (87 males and 115 females) in grades 5-9. The students ranged in age from 10 to 17 years old (M = 13.16). Similar to the total student body, the ethnic breakdown of the sample was as follows: African-American (60%), Caucasian (24%), Hispanic (6%), and Other (5%). Data was also collected from the students' parents and teachers. Results indicated that girls conduct problems did not follow either model in a consistent manner. Specifically, adolescent-onset conduct problem girls, childhood-onset conduct problem boys, and adolescentonset conduct problem boys differed from non-conduct problem children but did not differ significantly amongst themselves on study variables (e.g., deviant peer association, hyperactivity/impulsivity, emotional dysregulation, callous/unemotional traits). However, results suggest that gender-specific risk factors should be taken into account when developing theoretical models for girls' conduct problems. For example, early pubertal maturation is a particularly salient risk factor for conduct problems in girls, and pubertal development interacts with emotion regulation problems to place girls at high risk for deviant behavior. Finally, implications for prevention and intervention as well as future research are discussed.

Bakgrund: Historiskt sett har alkoholanvändning varit ett normativt beteende för ungdomar, en trend som från år 2000 har vänt då både andelen ungdomar som dricker samt mängden alkohol har minskat kraftigt. Därför brister kunskapen om huruvida den nya generationen av ungdomar börjar dricka alkohol av samma eller helt andra anledningar än tidigare. Därav finns det ett behov av att studera vilka bestämningsfaktorer som predicerar, det vill säga vilka faktorer som kan förutsäga alkoholdebut hos den nya generationen av ungdomar. Syfte: Denna studie syftar till att identifiera bestämningsfaktorer i form av föräldraskap och psykiska besvär som predicerar ungdomars alkoholdebut i Västmanlands län samt undersöka om dessa bestämningsfaktorers prediktionsförmåga skiljer sig åt mellan pojkar och flickor. Metod: För att undersöka vilka bestämningsfaktorer för föräldrafaktorer och psykiska besvär som predicerar ungdomars alkoholdebut användes en kvantitativ metod med sekundärdata från den longitudinella kohortstudien The Survey of Adolescent Life in Västmanland (SALVe Cohort). Två mätningar inkluderas i studien varav den första basmätningen utfördes 2012 och den andra uppföljningsmätningen utfördes 2015. Multivariata logistiska regressioner har legat till grund för studiens analyser. Resultat: Föräldrafaktorer i form av psykisk och fysisk utsatthet var prediktiva för ungdomars alkoholdebut. Dock försvann de prediktiva effekterna vid justering för confounders. Psykiska besvär i form av ADHD (Attention Difict Hyperactivity Disorder), psykosomatiska besvär och antisocialt beteende predicerade ungdomars alkoholdebut. Dock försvann de prediktiva effekterna vid för ADHD och psykosomatiska besvär vid justering för confounders. Antisocialt beteende var den enda bestämningsfaktorn som predicerade alkoholdebut efter att confounders justerats för. Slutsatser: Föräldrafaktorer tycks inte predicera med alkoholdebuten. För psykiska besvär är antisocialt beteende den enda bestämningsfaktorn som visar en prediktiv effekt för ungdomars alkoholdebut. Den könsskillnad som uppkom var att psykosociala besvär predicerade flickors alkoholdebut men inte pojkars alkoholdebut. / Background: Historically, alcohol use has been a normative behavior for adolescents, a trend that has turned from the 21st century when both the proportion of adolescents who drink and the amount of alcohol have decreased sharply. Therefore, the science shows a lack of knowledge about the new generation of adolescents where those who still consume alcohol, drink for the same or quite different reasons than before. There is a need to study which determinants are predicting, that is which factors can foretell the first initiation of alcohol for the new generation of adolescents. Aim: This study aims to identify determinants in the form of parenting and mental disorders that predict adolescent’s first initiation of alcohol in Västmanland County and investigate whether the prediction ability of these determinants differs between boys and girls. Method: To investigate which determinants of parental factors and mental disorders predicts adolescent’s alcohol initiation, a quantitative method with secondary data from a longitudinal cohort study was used The Survey of Adolescent Life in Västmanland (SALVe Cohort) was used. Two measurements are included in the study, which the first basic measurement was performed in 2012 and the second follow-up measurement was performed in 2015. Multivariate logistic regressions have been the basis for the study's analyzes. Results: Parental factors as mental and physical exposure were predictive for adolescent’s alcohol use. However, the predictive effects disappeared when adjusting for confounders. Mental disorders as ADHD (Attention Difict Hyperactivity Disorder), psychosomatic disorders and conduct problem predicted adolescent's alcohol use. However, the predictive effects disappeared for ADHD and psychosomatic disorders when adjusting for confounders. Conduct problem was the only determinant that predicted alcohol after confounders were adjusted. Conclusions: Parental factors do not seem to predict alcohol initiation. For mental disorders, antisocial behavior is the only determinant that shows a predictive effect with the adolescent's alcohol initiation. The gender differences that emerge were that psychosocial problems predicted girl’s alcohol initiation but not for boys.

Conduct problems describe behaviors that violate either age-appropriate societal norms or the rights of others. They include: physical or verbal aggression, theft, lying, arguing with authority, defiance, violation of rules, property destruction, fire setting, and truancy. Among youth with conduct problems, a subset display features known as callous-unemotional (CU) traits. CU traits, or interpersonal callousness, are exemplified in behaviors such as: (a) absence of remorse or guilt, (b) lack of empathy and, (c) callous use of others for personal gain (Frick & White, 2008). This study aims to fill the gap of examining these students in schools and which practices are currently being used to manage these students’ behaviors. Because students with callous unemotional traits are typically the students exhibiting the most extreme and aggressive forms of conduct problems, there is a need to discover effective ways to manage their behavior in order to maintain a safe and effective learning environment for all students. In this study, vignettes were used to make comparisons between youth with and without CU traits in the following areas: (RQ1) teachers’ attributive perceptions of conduct problems (i.e., Why do they think the child behaves this way?), (RQ2) teachers’ self-efficacy in addressing conduct problems in the classroom, (RQ3) the most appropriate educational setting for students with conduct problems, (RQ4) the type of behavior management strategies believed to be most effective, and (RQ5) the expected trajectory of the student. Teachers were most likely to attribute problem behavior of all students to home and within child factors but they were somewhat more likely to attribute home factors to the students with CU traits. Teachers additionally feel overall less efficacious in working with students with CU traits, had lower expectations of success, and were more likely to recommend ongoing home-school collaboration. Participants in this study showed overwhelming support for the fact that reinforcing interventions are more effective than punitive interventions and knowledge of a wide range of interventions. The discussion describes suggestions for future training to increase teacher competency in working with students with conduct problems in the general education setting.

The present study aimed to investigate the predictors of conduct problems and callous-unemotional (CU) traits in a non-clinic sample of children from different socioeconomic levels. It was hypothesized that conduct problems and CU traits will be associated with different risk factors. Regression analyses were conducted in order to find out the predictors of conduct problems/hyperactivity and CU traits. Results showed some significant differences between risk factors of conduct problems/hyperactivity and CU traits. Predictors according to mothers&rsquo / and teachers&rsquo / ratings were not the same, except for some overlapping variables. The findings indicated that teachers could not differentiate conduct problems/hyperactivity symptoms and CU traits appropriately from each other. However, they could make more reliable comparisons between two groups of children with conduct problems who differ on severity of CU levels as compared to mothers. The results were discussed in terms of using of multiple informants forassessing different problem areas in children. In addition, the study aimed to investigate the differences between three groups of children, namely, children with conduct problems and high CU traits, children with conduct problems and low CU traits, and children without conduct problems and low CU traits were compared on child-related, parenting-related, and other family measures by using multiple factorial analyses of variances. Although significant differences were found between the control group and the two conduct group, the significant differences between the two conduct groups were limited. The results were discussed in terms of treatment needs and possible differences in cultural expression of CU traits.