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Young people with conduct problems (i.e., chronic behavioural issues characterized by rule violation, aggressive behaviour, classroom disruption) are particularly vulnerable to experiencing negative mental health and academic outcomes and are among the most frequent users of school-based mental health services. The behaviours associated with conduct problems can negatively impact youths' relationships with their parents, peers, and school personnel. The present qualitative study examined the service use experiences of individuals with histories of conduct problems, focusing on how service use was linked with how youth saw their relationships with others. A thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews carried out between 2019 and 2020 with 41 young adults ages 17–21 with histories of school-based specialized service use for conduct problems was conducted to understand how participants described the services they received in school, and how they saw this service use as shaping their relationships with others. We identified four themes of stigma and empathy in terms of how youth related service use to their interpersonal relationships. The findings underline the importance of raising awareness about the impacts of stigma for conduct problems. The implications for practice include the need for further research on empathy by service providers who work with youth with conduct problems. Highlights: Young adults with childhood histories of conduct problems described how they saw their service use as linked with their social relationships. Participants discussed how service use was associated with experiences of stigma, and the consequences of stigma for their outcomes. Participants noted how empathy from educators and other service providers helped support positive development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the comorbidity between conduct problems (CP) and depressive symptoms (DS) is associated with a host of negative outcomes, the factors, such as temperament, that might explain this comorbidity in school-aged boys and girls are poorly understood. This study compared elementary school children presenting co-occurring CP and DS to children with DS only, CP only, and those with low-level symptoms on temperament dimensions, and explored the moderating role of child sex in the associations. Participants are 487 children (M = 8.38 years, SD = 0.92, 52.2% girls) divided into four groups (CP + DS, DS only, CP only, control). Findings suggest that boys with CP and DS presented a lower level of fear than boys with DS and boys from the control group. They also presented higher levels of activity than boys with DS. Girls with CP and DS presented lower levels of fear than girls with DS, lower levels of approach and activity than girls with CP, and higher levels of shyness than girls from the control group. These findings suggest that temperament may discriminate children with comorbid CP and DS from those presenting only CP or DS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent empirical work has suggested that youths with conduct problems and presenting high levels of callous-unemotional (CU) traits can be divided in two variants (i.e., primary, secondary) presenting specific characteristics and needs, but studies examining outcomes associated longitudinally with variants memberships remain scarce. Building on a previous investigation in which we identified variants of CU traits among children with conduct problems, we examined differences between groups on a wide range of behavioral/psychological, relational/social, and educational outcomes assessed during adolescence (n = 309, mean age = 17.4, SD = 0.96). When compared to those from the primary variant, youths from the secondary variant reported higher levels of conduct, opposition, attention deficit/hyperactivity and anxiety problems, had lower teacher-reported academic performance, experienced more conflictual relationships with their teachers, and were at higher risk of being victimized by their intimate partner. These results shed light on the specific clinical characteristics of children from the secondary variant that are likely to persist until adolescence. Providing these children with intensive preventive interventions targeting these long-term consequences could be particularly beneficial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engagement in underage gambling remains a public health concern. Risk factors for the development of gambling behaviours in adolescence include the presence of externalizing and/or internalizing problems. This study aims to better understand the role of co-occurrence between externalizing and internalizing symptoms from childhood to adolescence in adolescent gambling. Participants were drawn from an ongoing longitudinal study of children with and without early conduct problems. Externalizing and internalizing problems were measured annually using teacher and parent reports. Gambling behaviours were measured using self-report when participants were approximately 15 years old. Latent class growth trajectory analyses identified five mental health trajectory classes: (1) a co-occurring trajectory characterized by stable clinical levels of both externalizing and internalizing problems, (2) an externalizing trajectory characterized by stable high clinical levels of externalizing problems, (3) an internalizing trajectory characterized by stable at-risk levels of internalizing problems, (4) an at-risk externalizing trajectory characterized by decreasing levels of externalizing problems, and (5) a non-clinical trajectory. Invariance analyses suggested that this model remained valid in both boys and girls. Logistic regression analyses suggested that youth who belonged in the externalizing trajectory reported a greater likelihood of past-year gambling behaviours when compared to youth who belong in the comorbid trajectory. No other mental health trajectory was significantly associated with adolescent gambling. Stable high externalizing behaviours in development appear to increase one's risk of gambling behaviours in adolescence. Efforts to target these throughout development could help decrease one's future risk of engaging in these behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Behavioural disinhibition and depression symptoms have both been suggested as potential mechanisms linking conduct problems (CP) to adolescent substance use; however, their roles have yet to be conclusively identified. The current project examines whether these mental health characteristics mediate the association between CP and early adolescent substance use. Participants (N = 744) were drawn from an ongoing longitudinal study on children with and without early CP. Structural equation models showed significant associations between CP at T1 (6.3 to 10.6 years old) and both depression symptoms and behavioural disinhibition 3 years later (T4). While depression symptoms at T4 were not associated with substance use at T6, behavioural disinhibition was. A significant partial indirect effect also emerged for behavioural disinhibition in the association between CP and substance use, but this effect disappeared once we controlled for age. Clinical implications of our study include a focus on global CP symptomatology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 underscores the importance of understanding variation in adherence to rules concerning health behaviors. Children with conduct problems have difficulty with rule adherence, and linking early conduct problems with later adherence to COVID-19 guidelines can provide new insight into public health. The current study employed a sample (N = 744) designed to examine the longitudinal consequences of childhood conduct problems (Mean age at study entry = 8.39). The first objective was to link early conduct problems with later adherence to both general and specific COVID-19 guidelines during emerging adulthood (M age = 19.07). The second objective was to prospectively examine how interactional (i.e., callous unemotional traits, impulsivity) and cumulative (i.e., educational attainment, work status, substance use) continuity factors mediated this association. The third objective was to examine differences in sex assigned at birth in these models. Direct associations were observed between childhood conduct problems and lower general, but not specific COVID-19 guideline adherence. Conduct problems were indirectly associated with both general and specific adherence via higher levels of callous unemotional traits, and with specific adherence via higher problematic substance use. No differences in the models were observed across sex assigned at birth. Findings provide insight into both how developmental psychopathology constructs are useful for understanding COVID-19 guideline adherence, and the ways in which conduct problems may shape health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Original definitions of psychopathy suggest the existence of two variants that present with distinct clinical features among antisocial adults, but whether these clinical differences originate early in life or emerge at some point during childhood remains uncertain. We examined if primary and secondary variants follow distinct developmental trajectories of theoretically relevant clinical features among children with conduct problems (CP). Participants were 370 children (40.3% girls) with CP initially aged 8.49 years old in average (s.d. = 0.93). Variants indicators (callous-unemotional [CU] traits and anxiety [ANX]) and clinical features were measured at six yearly assessments. A dual trajectory modelling approach was used to identify groups and group memberships were entered in conditional growth models predicting trajectories of clinical features. Four groups were identified: CP-only, anxious (CP + ANX), primary (CP + CU), and secondary (CP + CU + ANX). Both variants showed higher initial levels of impairment than the CP-only group on most features. Compared to the primary variant, membership to the secondary variant was associated with more stable patterns of CP, oppositional problems, narcissism-grandiosity and impulsivity-irresponsibility traits. Moreover, children from the secondary variant showed higher initial levels of impairment in terms of cognitive abilities, depression, victimization, and dependency to teachers, with non-significant effects on the slope parameters suggesting that these early differences persist across development. In addition to showing distinct clinical features relatively early in childhood, children from the secondary variant of psychopathic traits are at high risk of experiencing an increasing psychopathological burden across childhood. The early identification and treatment of these children therefore appears particularly important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While research addresses neighborhood disorder as leading to conduct problems, the role of individual-level differences in shaping adolescent perceptions of neighborhood has been overlooked. Data on youth, over-selected for childhood conduct problems (N = 744, 58% childhood conduct problems, 47% girls), were used to examine the link between conduct problems (time 1: Mean age = 12.23) and perceived neighborhood disorder (time 3: M = 14.30). The mediating role of delinquent friends, peer victimization, depressive symptoms, and observer-rated neighborhood disorder (time 2: M = 13.23) were also tested. Conduct problems were associated with higher levels of perceived neighborhood disorder, via delinquent peers and peer victimization. These findings offer new insight into the consequences of perceived neighborhood disorder for health and wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though conceptually distinct from other behavior problems, indirect aggression (IA) is correlated with physical aggression and is linked to oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder from childhood to adolescence. Thus, IA could be part of the clinical picture of children with identified conduct problems (CP). However, trajectories of IA have not been studied in children with CP. In the present study, we evaluated and compared the mean trajectory of IA from 7 to 14 years of age in children with (n = 328; 47.6% girls) and without (n = 320; 51.3% girls) early clinically significant CP using both parent and teacher ratings. We then examined if sub-groups of children distinguished themselves by their use of IA over time and tested for sex differences. Latent growth models showed that children with CP used IA at higher rates over time than children without CP. Regardless of this higher frequency, the use of IA in both groups of children was best described by down-turned curvilinear trajectories peaking at 10 years of age. Growth mixture models showed that children without CP, according to parent and teacher ratings, and children with CP, according to parent ratings, both followed two trajectories of IA over time, with, respectively, 10% to 14% of them following a high trajectory. As for sex differences, the use of IA of boys and girls without CP did not differ, but differences emerged for children with CP, with girls using IA more frequently. The clinical implications of the findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The three dimensions of psychopathic traits in childhood predict high levels of conduct problems. Theoretical conceptions suggest that, in addition to predicting the onset of conduct problems, traits also contribute to their developmental pathways. However, little is known about the associations between the trajectories of the three dimensions of psychopathic traits and the persistence and desistance of childhood-onset conduct problems. The objective of the present study was to examine the associations between 6-year trajectories of the three dimensions of psychopathic traits and 8-year trajectories of conduct problems among 316 children (41.8% girls) with childhood-onset conduct problems who were followed longitudinally from childhood to adolescence. Results showed that a higher probability of following high trajectories of each dimension of psychopathic traits significantly increases the odds of following a higher and less declining pattern of conduct problems over and above child sex and annual family income. Results also showed that the combination of a high trajectory of more than one dimension of psychopathic traits is a stronger indicator of a higher and less declining pattern of conduct problems than a high trajectory of only one dimension. These results support the importance of considering the three dimensions of psychopathic traits in understanding the heterogeneity of childhood-onset conduct problems pathways. They also point out the need to assess these traits early in order to give practitioners valuable information in the clinical assessment and treatment of antisocial children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The clinical relevance of using a multi-informant approach to assess behavioral problems in youths is well established. However, empirical studies have consistently shown weak agreement across informants (parents, teachers, youths). Moreover, there is no consensus regarding the most valid strategy for combining informant reports to assess these problems. The aim of this study was to compare the discriminant validity of different strategies for combining parent and teacher reports (mean score, highest score, independent assessments) by testing their sensitivity and specificity in assessing different constructs of behavioral problems (conduct, oppositional and attention/hyperactivity) in youths referred and non-referred to school-based services for these problems. The strategies were tested in terms of their capacity to discriminate between a sample of children (n = 370, 6–9 years old, 40% girls) with emotional or behavioral problems referred for special school services and another sample of children (n = 183, 6–9 years old, 52% girls) never referred for such services. All the children were recruited in the same school boards across the province of Quebec, Canada. High specificity rates were obtained across informants and combination strategies. Low sensitivity rates were obtained for parents, teachers and mean scores, but the use of the highest score yielded higher sensitivity without lowering specificity rates and optimized classification rates across constructs and cutoffs (98th, 93rd percentiles) among both boys and girls. This combination strategy therefore appeared to optimize balance between specificity and sensitivity. These results suggest that, when available, use of parent/teacher highest score should be preferred over use of a single informant score or of a parent-teacher mean score in assessing behavioral problems in youths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high levels of comorbidity between oppositional/conduct problems and hyperactivity/attention problems underscore the need for assessing how vulnerability for peer victimization is shaped by overlap among these behavior problems. Children (mean age 8.39, SD = 0.93) participating in a longitudinal study of the development of conduct problems (N = 744; 348 girls) in Quebec, Canada, were evaluated by their teachers regarding experiences of peer verbal and physical victimization every year for 6 years. Parent and teacher ratings of clinically significant oppositional/conduct problems, and hyperactivity/attention problems, as well as cormorbid opposition defiant/conduct problems and hyperactivity/attention problems were regressed onto trajectories of verbal and physical victimization. While behavior problems (both alone and together) were associated with higher levels of verbal and physical victimization, some variation was observed across rater and type of victimization. Ultimately, these findings suggest the importance of adapting programming for reducing victimization to children with oppositional and conduct problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The three dimensions of psychopathic traits in childhood have been consistently associated with high levels of conduct problems among children. However, little is known about the continuity and change in psychopathic traits among children with conduct problems. This study aimed to examine the homotypic continuity and change of the three dimensions of psychopathic traits from 8 to 14 years old among 370 children (40.3% girls) who were identified at school as having conduct problems at study inception. Results supported the structural continuity of the tridimensional model of psychopathic traits and revealed that the callous-unemotional dimension is more stable than the two other dimensions. However, the levels of the three dimensions of psychopathic traits remained high over time among a substantial number of children with conduct problems. This study has implications regarding the longitudinal assessment of psychopathic traits within this specific population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies suggest that girls with externalizing problems (ExtP) who receive school-based mental health services may have more severe impairments than boys. In addition, girls with ExtP who receive mental health treatments have been found do so for shorter durations, but this remains to be confirmed among children receiving school-based mental health services. This study sought to (1) examine gender differences in students’ characteristics and problem severity at study inception and in mental health service use at school at 12-, 24- and 36-month follow-up and (2) investigate longitudinal child, family and school determinants of service use among girls and boys. Participants were 370 elementary school students (149 girls) receiving school-based mental health services for ExtP. Child, family and school determinants of mental health services at school were examined ecologically from parent and teacher reports at study inception and follow-up points. Proportionally more girls than boys presented clinical ExtP and fewer retained services at each follow-up point. Multilevel generalized estimating equations models indicated that, among girls, conflict with teacher, affiliation with deviant peers and poor academic functioning significantly increased the likelihood of mental health service use over time but that ExtP severity was the most robust independent predictor. A broader set of determinants emerged for boys, including ExtP severity, internalizing problems and affiliation with deviant peers. These results suggest that adults may be more sensitive to boys’ difficulties than to girls’ and that girls who receive school mental health services typically present more severe impairments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the relationship between the three DSM-5 categories of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) symptoms (irritable mood, defiant behavior, vindictive behavior) and anxiety/depression in girls and boys with conduct problems (CP) while controlling for comorbid child psychopathology at baseline. Data were drawn from an ongoing longitudinal study of 6- to 9-year-old French-Canadian children (N = 276; 40.8 % girls) receiving special educational services for CP at school and followed for 2 years. Using linear regression analysis, the results showed that irritable mood symptoms predicted a higher level of depression and anxiety in girls and boys 2 years later, whereas the behavioral symptoms of ODD (e.g., defiant, vindictive symptoms) were linked to lower depression scores. The contribution of ODD symptoms to these predictions, while statistically significant, remained modest. The usefulness of ODD irritable symptoms as a marker for identifying girls and boys with CP who are more vulnerable to developing internalizing problems is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed first to examine the trajectories of indirect aggression among girls from disadvantaged neighborhoods from childhood ( M = 8.38, SD = .91, range = 6.58-10.25) to early adolescence ( M = 11.28, SD = .93, range = 9.33-13.83), after controlling for physical aggression. Second, it aimed to identify possible individual, family, and peer risk factors, assessed in the early school years, which predispose subgroups of girls to use indirect aggression in an intense and persistent way. Three trajectories of indirect aggression were identified: 18.9 % ( n = 57) of the girls followed a trajectory that started out at the mean and then increased ('mean-increasing'), 44.5 % ( n = 134) of the girls followed a trajectory that started out at the mean and then decreased ('mean-decreasing'), and 36.5 % ( n = 110) of the girls followed a trajectory that started out below the mean and then decreased ('low-decreasing'). Results from univariate analyses suggest that individual, family and peer risk factors predicted membership in the subgroup of girls who use indirect aggression more frequently and increasingly. However, in multivariate analyses, only the individual factor of surgency/extraversion predicted membership in this subgroup of girls. Hostile parent-child relationships also differentiated girls in the 'mean-decreasing' group from the 'low-decreasing' group. Interventions aimed at changing negative temperamental tendencies and interpersonal experiences with family and peers may break the cycle that reinforces frequent and persistent use of indirect aggression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Youth with conduct problems (CP) may experience high rates of depressive symptoms (DS). However, little is known about the direction of the longitudinal associations between CP and DS in this specific population. Although girls with CP appear at greater risk than boys for presenting comorbid depression, empirical research on gender differences in these associations is even sparser. The current study used autoregressive latent trajectory models to compare four perspectives with hypotheses regarding the longitudinal associations between CP and DS, while taking into account the evolution of both problems. We also examined gender differences in the longitudinal associations. A total of 345 children (40.6 % female) presenting with a high level of CP in early elementary school (mean age at study inception = 8.52; SD = .94) were evaluated annually over a four-year period (5 measurement time points). The results revealed that CP and DS were quite stable over time. Moreover, CP and DS showed strong covariation at each measurement time point, but only one significant positive cross-lagged association between the two processes, indicating that higher levels of DS at time 3 were associated with higher levels of CP 1 year later. No differences were observed in the longitudinal associations between CP and DS in boys and girls. Given the comorbidity and stability of CP and DS, these findings suggest that DS should be systematically evaluated among children with early clinically significant CP, and treatment plans should include interventions aimed at both CP and DS among children who present with both types of problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction to the article "Longitudinal Associations Between Conduct Problems and Depressive Symptoms Among Girls and Boys With Early Conduct Problems" by Martine Poirier, Caroline E. Temcheff and Jean Toupin published online on December 9, 2015 is presented.