Conduct disorder: A neurodevelopmental perspective

doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-811323-3.00003-1

Developmental Pathways to Disruptive, Impulse-Control and Conduct Disorders

2018, Pages 53-89

https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-811323-3.00003-1 Get rights and content

Abstract

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, conduct disorder (CD) comprises “A repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior in which basic rights of others or major age-appropriate societal norms or rules are violated…” (p. 469). Although criteria for CD can be met in a number of ways, in this chapter we review more serious forms of the disorder, which typically emerge in early childhood through interactions between and among (1) neurobiological vulnerabilities (e.g., genetic, neural, hormonal) and (2) environmental risk factors (e.g., coercive parenting, abuse, deviant peer affiliations, neighborhood criminality). We therefore emphasize the complex, ontogenic nature of CD, which is more accurately described along a developmental spectrum of externalizing behavior than as a discrete diagnostic category. We specify a common developmental progression of early-onset CD, review well-understood neurobiological and environmental mechanisms, and briefly discuss treatment strategies at different ages.

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