Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Familial risks, conduct disorder and violence

A Finnish study of 278 adolescent boys and girls

  • ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTION
  • Published:
European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective

The aim was to investigate the impact of familial risk factors on the development of violent behaviour and conduct disorder (CD) by gender in a sample of adolescent psychiatric patients.

Methods

The study sample consisted of 278 adolescents (age 12–17) consecutively admitted to psychiatric inpatient care between April 2001 and January 2004. DSMIV psychiatric diagnoses were obtained from the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Aged Children—Present and Lifetime (K-SADS-PL).

Results

Logistic regression analyses revealed that girls who had been physically abused at home had a 4.2-fold risk of having conduct disorder with violent behaviour (95% CI 1.4–12.2) compared to those not exposed to domestic violence. A broken primary family also increased the risk for having both violent CD (OR 7.8 95 % CI 1.7–36.4) and non-violent CD (OR 7.0 95% CI 1.5–33.5) among girls. Among boys, no statistically significant association was found between any familial risk factors and later CD.

Conclusions

The results suggest that being physically abused by parents may influence the development of conduct disorder including violent behaviour among girls. This emphasizes the importance of early recognition of domestic violence. In girls, the absence of primary family seems to associate strongly with the development of CD, and should be taken into consideration by physicians and other professionals working with young people.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. AACAP Official Action (1997) Practice Parameters for the Assessment and Treatment on Children and Adolescents with Conduct Disorder. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 36(Suppl 10):S122–S139

    Google Scholar 

  2. American Psychiatric Association (1980) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-III 3rd edition, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  3. American Psychiatric Association (1987) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM-III-R 3rd edition—Revised, Washington, DC

  4. American Psychiatric Association (2000) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual ofMental Disorders, DSM-IV-TR 4th Edition, text revision. Washington, DC

  5. American Psychiatric Association (1994) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-IV 4th edition, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  6. Becker KB, McCloskey LA (2002) Attention and Conduct problems in children exposed to family violence. Am J Orthopsychiatry 72(1):83–91

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Borduin CM (1999) Multisystemic Treatment of Criminality and Violence in Adolescents. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 38(3):242–249

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Burke JD, Loeber R, Birmaher B (2002) Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder:A Review of the Past 10 years, Part II. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 48(11):1275–1293

    Google Scholar 

  9. Cadoret RJ, Langbehn D, Caspers K, Troughton EP, Yucuis R, Sandhu HK, Philibert R (2003) Associations of the serotonin transporter promoter polymorphism with aggressivity, attention deficit, and conduct disorder in an adoptee population. Compr Psychiatry 44(2):88–101

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Collishaw S, Maughan B, Goodman R, Pickles A (2004) Time trends in adolescent mental health. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 45(8):1350–1362

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Dick DM, Li TK, Edenberg HJ, Hesselbrock V, Kramer J, Kuperman S, Porjesz B, Bucholz K, Goate A, Nurnberger J, Foround T (2004) A genome-wide screen for genes influencing conduct disorder. Mol Psychiatry 9(1):81–86

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Farrington DP (1990) Implications of criminal career research for the prevention of offending. J Adolesc 13:93–113

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Fergusson DM, Lynskey MT (1997) Physical Punishment/Maltreatment during Childhood and Adjustment in Young Adulthood. Child Abuse Negl 21(7):617–630

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Hartung CM, Widiger TA (1998) Gender differences in the diagnosis of mental disorders: conclusions and controversies of the DSM-IV. Psychol Bull 123(3):260–278

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Herrenkohl TI, Maguin E, Hill KG, Hawkins JD, Abbott RD, Catalano RF (2000) Developmental Risk Factors for Youth Violence. J Adolesc Health 26:176–186

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Kaufman J, Birmaher B, Brent D, Rao U, Flynn C, Moreci P, Williamson D, Ryan N (1997) Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children—Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL): initial reliability and validity data. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 36(7):980–988

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Keenan K, Loeber R, Green S (1999) Conduct Disorder in Girls: A Review of the Literature. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev 2(1):3–19

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Keenan K, Shaw D (1997) Developmental and social influences on young girls’ early problem behavior. Psychol Bull 121(1):95–113

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Kivelä K, Lahelma E, Roos E, Tuominen T, Dahl E, Diderichsen F, Elstad JI, Lissau I, Lundberg O, Rahkonen O, Rasmussen NK, Yngwe M (2001) Sairastavuuden väestöryhmittäiset muutokset Pohjoismaissa 1980-ja 1990-luvulla (in Finnish). Finnish Med J 56(2):155–161

    Google Scholar 

  20. Kokkevi A, Hartgers C (1995) European adaptation of a multidimensional assessment instrument for drug and alcohol dependents. Eur Addict Res 1:208–210

    Google Scholar 

  21. Loeber R, Burke JD, Lahey BB, Winters A, Zera M (2000) Oppositional defiant and conduct disorder: a review of the past 10 years, part I. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 39(12):1468–1484

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Loeber R, Green SM, Keenan K, Lahey B (1995) Which Boys Will Fare Worse? Early Predictors of the Onset of Conduct Disorder in a Six-Year Longitudinal Study. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 34(4):499–509

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. McLoyd VC (1998) Socioeconomic disadvantage and child development. Am Psychol 53:185–204

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Mäkikyrö T, Hakko H, Timonen J, Lappalainen J, Ilomäki R, Marttunen M, Läksy K, Räsänen P (2004) Smoking and Suicidality Among Adolescent Psychiatric Patients. J Adolesc Health 34(3):250–253

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Patterson GR, Reid JB, Dishion TJ (1992) Antisocial boys. Eugene, OR: Castalia publishing

  26. Robins LN (1991) Conduct Disorder. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 1:193–212

    Google Scholar 

  27. Ruchkin V, Koposov R, Vermeiren R, Schwab-Stone M (2003) Psychopathology and age at onset of conduct problems in juvenile delinquents. J Clin Psychiatry 64(8):913–920

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Silverthorn P, Frick PJ (1999) Developmental pathways to antisocial behavior: the delayed-onset pathway in girls. Dev Psychopathol 11(1):101–126

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Storvoll EE, Wichstrom L (2002) Do the risk factors associated with conduct problems in adolescents vary according to gender? J Adolesc 25:183–202

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Oulu, Dept. of Psychiatry, 5000, 90014, University of Oulu, Finland

    Essi Ilomäki MD, Helinä Hakko PhD, Mauri Marttunen MD, PhD, Taru Mäkikyrö MD, PhD & Pirkko Räsänen MD, PhD

  2. Oulu University Hospital, Dept. of Psychiatry, Oulu, Finland

    Kaisa Viilo BSc & Taru Mäkikyrö MD, PhD

  3. Dept. of Adolescent Psychiatry, Peijas Hospital, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinky, Finland

    Mauri Marttunen MD, PhD

Authors
  1. Essi Ilomäki MD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kaisa Viilo BSc
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Helinä Hakko PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Mauri Marttunen MD, PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Taru Mäkikyrö MD, PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Pirkko Räsänen MD, PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Consortia

and STUDY-70 workgroup

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Essi Ilomäki MD.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ilomäki, E., Viilo, K., Hakko, H. et al. Familial risks, conduct disorder and violence. Europ.Child & Adolescent Psych 15, 46–51 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-006-0507-x

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-006-0507-x

Key words

Search

Navigation