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Finding a Needed Diagnostic Home for Children with Impulsive Aggression

Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review volume 26, pages 259–271 (2023)Cite this article

Abstract

Aggressive behavior is one of the most common reasons for referrals of youth to mental health treatment. While there are multiple publications describing different types of aggression in children, it remains challenging for clinicians to diagnose and treat aggressive youth, especially those with impulsively aggressive behaviors. The reason for this dilemma is that currently several psychiatric diagnoses include only some of the common symptoms of aggression in their criteria. However, no single diagnosis or diagnostic specifier adequately captures youth with impulsive aggression (IA). Here we review select current diagnostic categories, including behavior and mood disorders, and suggest that they do not provide an adequate description of youth with IA. We also specifically focus on the construct of IA as a distinct entity from other diagnoses and propose a set of initial, provisional diagnostic criteria based on the available evidence that describes youth with IA to use for future evaluation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Virginia Commonwealth University, 1308 Sherwood Ave, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA

    Ekaterina Stepanova

  2. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 235 E Cameron Ave, CB# 3270, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, USA

    Joshua A. Langfus

  3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 103 Westchester Pl, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514-5237, USA

    Eric A. Youngstrom

  4. University of Miami, 5665 Ponce de Leon Blvd, Coral Gables, FL, 33146, USA

    Spencer C. Evans

  5. University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, 13123 East 16Th Ave, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA

    Joel Stoddard

  6. Johns Hopkins University, 1800 Orleans Street, Bloomberg 12N, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA

    Andrea S. Young & Kathryn Van Eck

  7. Virginia Commonwealth University, 501 N 2Nd St 4Th Floor, PO Box 980308, Richmond, VA, 23298-0308, USA

    Robert L. Findling

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  1. Ekaterina Stepanova
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Correspondence to Ekaterina Stepanova.

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Stepanova, E., Langfus, J.A., Youngstrom, E.A. et al. Finding a Needed Diagnostic Home for Children with Impulsive Aggression. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev 26, 259–271 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-022-00422-3

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Keywords

  • Aggression
  • Impulsive behavior
  • Children
  • Diagnosis
  • Rage