Conduct disorder is the second most common psychiatric disorder in adolescent girls. In a secondary analysis of an existing data set from a study of pregnant adolescent girls, recruited from three different sites in a Canadian city (N = 252), possible predictors of conduct disorder were examined. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS) was used to measure conduct disorder. To investigate possible risk factors, three instruments were used: (1) Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), (2) Parental Bonding Instrument, and (3) Knowledge of Infant Development Inventory (KIDI). In a stepwise regression analysis, conduct disorder was found to be significantly associated with four risk factors: high levels of overall abuse as children, placement in foster care, few years of schooling and lack of paternal care. A possible preventive program, to encourage girls with conduct disorder to stay in school and cope with past histories of abuse, is discussed.

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