Conduct Disorder over Aggression - Essay Example

CONDUCT DISORDER OVER AGGRESSION: CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE Contents …………………………………………………………………………2 2. Introduction………………………………………………………………………..2 3. Historical Perspectives…………………………………………………………….4 4. Literature Review………………………………………………………………….6 5. Assessment Strategies and Recommendations……………………………………9 6. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….10 References………………………………………………………………………..11 List of Figures……………………………………………………………………12 1. Abstract Aggressive children and youth are known to inflict pain and cause discomfort to those around them and hence it is of utmost significance to ascertain the prevalence and causes behind such overt aggression and conduct disorders among young children and adolescents. Conduct disorders are one of the most frequent reasons for clinical referrals to young children and adolescents and are most common causes of behavioral disorders among young children. Aggression and antisocial behavior in youth often culminates into persistent behavioral misconduct which increases the likelihood of a substantial rise in criminal activities. If left untreated, it may result in social behavioral problems leading to unstable relationships, and severe psychiatric disorders. Conduct disorder and overt aggression among young children and adolescents is a serious health condition as it exposes the society to youth who are likely to inflict physical harm or injury to others and at the same time are extremely vulnerable to cause self inflicting pain by indulging in self deteriorating activities such as substance abuse, incarceration, suicide, homicide, and depression among others. 2. Introduction The psychiatric diagnosis of conduct disorder comprises of a set of standards related to aggression, and hence it offers researchers with a vague approximation of its prevalence among young children and adolescents across all communities around the globe. Conduct disorders and overtly aggressive behavior is a clinical concept which refers to the disturbance or tumultuous behavior among the patients which causes a grave violation of the basic rights of other individuals and disrupts the social fabric of the society that we live in. Over physical aggression often involves inflicting physical harm or injury, and use of weapons and requires medical treatment and attention. Past studies and researches conducted in this field, claim that young children with antisocial behavior tend to display a certain degree of "specialization". On the basis of analysis conducted during the course of this research, it was observed that antisocial behavior among children can be understood from two diverse perspectives which includes overt aggression i.e., aggressive destructive behavior and covert misconduct. Overt aggression is largely confrontative in nature and according to studies, is largely motivated by interpersonal conflicts, anger, and a desire to attain and prove superiority and dominance over others. Covert misconduct on the other hand refers to non aggressive anti social acts which defy the moral and ethical conducts generally accepted in a society and includes acts such as fraud, burglary, theft, shoplifting, lying, damaging public and private property etc1. This paper on Childhood and Adolescent Conduct Disorder and Overt Aggression seeks to study the causes of such behavior among young children and adolescents, study and investigate the aspect from a historical perspective which includes origin of the basic concepts and past researches and studies, analysis of the concepts from clinical, academic and medical perspectives, assessments and recommendations for cure, and strategies that can be adopted for eliminating or reducing the occurrence of such behavioral disorders in the age group specified above. 3. Historical Perspective Historically, juvenile delinquency have been widely debated by critics, with differing views, in the courts of law across Britain and United States regarding the determination of appropriate measures to control and prevent such behavior. One side proposes that the juvenile offenders must be punished on similar lines as those convicted of similar offence. While the other side proposes that it is the responsibility of the family to inculcate civilized behavior in their children and ensure that they do not pose any harm or injury to the general public or cause damage to their property. As individuals are all part of a larger society, it is of crucial importance to impose strict restrictions on those exhibiting violent antisocial behavior irrespective of their age, in order to protect the society as a whole. Conduct disorder is by far one of the oldest diagnostic categories used in child psychiatry. Concerns regarding managing "out of control" children have been long in existence way before the emergence of psychiatry or psychology came into practice. Some of the earliest evidence that reveal the existence of conduct disorder among children or adults presents a picture where a family was considered solely responsible for undesirable behavior of their child and was expected to be resolved with little or no interference from outside sources2. The current debates surrounding the diverse aspects related to juvenile violence and aggression and its apparent differentiation from other psychiatric disorders has caused widespread concerns regarding the relationship of anxiety and paranoia with respect to aggressive behavior3. The American Psychiatric Association defines conduct disorder as: "A repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior in which the basic rights of others or major age appropriate societal norms or rules are violated"4 The term conduct disorder is often used to refer to children as well as adolescents who display a pattern of anti social behavior that defies the common rules generally accepted in a society and includes random acts of overt aggression, theft, lying, stealing and vandalism and is not synonymous with, what is commonly labeled as, "acting out" or intermittent disruptive behavioral patterns. Overt aggression on the other hand refers to the acts of physical violence including those involving use of weapons; thefts, lying, stealing, etc. 4. Literature Review Conduct disorder is a serious mental disorder which is characterized by a prolonged pattern of violent and disruptive anti social behavior and is commonly found in young children and adolescents. It is known to cause serious damage physiological and emotional setbacks and hence there is an urgent need to investigate into the causes of such disorder and attempt to understand the biophyschological processes that give rise to this type of disorder which can be achieved through matching treatments to specific deficits in individuals5. Empathy is one of the most effective tools of understanding the emotional status of children and adolescents suffering from such disorder and is proposed by researchers as the most appropriate psychological characteristic to analyze and understand problems related to conduct disorders6. According to some developmental psychologists, expression of epithetical and sympathetic behavior towards others is of utmost significance since it tends to inhibit aggression toward others7. The inclination for aggressive behavior reflects the lack of empathy towards sufferings or pain caused to others8. Such lack of concern might be caused on account of ineffective processing of information which in turn may be a result of fear, guilt or empathy. Research that focused on studying the prevalence of childhood aggression towards their peers has been widely restricted to studying the overt acts of aggression involving physical harm or damage caused by acts such as pushing, hitting or threatening ones peers. Findings from such research indicate that overt aggression is relatively more common in boys as compared to girls and is a constant and powerful indicator of social and psychological malfunctioning among school age children9. It is further claimed that children exhibiting conduct disorders and aggression towards others often fall victim to social alienation. A majority of children displaying aggressive behavior are largely unpopular and are disliked by their peers. The negative relationships become increasingly predominant as children grow older and are more dependent on peers for friendships and social acceptance10. According to Newcomb and Bagwell (1996)11: "Friendships are associated with enhanced opportunities to exercise behaviors related to social, emotional, and cognitive growth ... friendless children display less adaptive social competencies and skills than friended children do" A study conducted by Crick and Brigbee (1998) on overt and relational aggression among adolescents proposed that the existence of such disorders among adolescents caused socio psychological adjustment leading to disturbed mental health and adversely affected their abilities to form positive social relationships12. Medical health practitioners adopt and implement several modern as well as conventional treatments and therapies, with inconsistent and contentious outcomes, for children and adolescents diagnosed with conduct behavior. The controversies, debates and the widespread disagreements within the medical fraternity over the most appropriate method of treatment exist on account of differing theories followed by the medical health professionals. A majority of the clinicians and health professionals believe that conduct disorder treatment can be categorized into two major fields based on a biological theory of nature and the other on the social nurture theory. Research aimed at analyzing the treatments for conduct disorder, claim that conduct disorder is a physiological malfunction and hence nurture based treatment is the best alternative for curing the same. A recent study conducted on children diagnosed with conduct disorder proposed the use of serotonin based psycho pharmaceutical medications as an effective means of treating such children displaying aggressive tendencies13. On the other hand, nurture based treatments suggested by researchers, to be effective, include altering or modifying parent behavior in order to deal with and guide the child diagnosed with conduct disorder. This can be achieved through use of cognitive behavioral therapies which help in changing the childs thought processes and hence influence them to relinquish the anti social and disruptive attitudes14. 5. Assessment Strategies and Recommendations Conduct disorders and aggressive tendencies among children can be resolve through cognitive therapies. Cognitive processes are referred to constructs that relate to the manner in which individuals interpret and experience the world around them. Aggression according to some theorists is not just a reaction to external environmental events but has deep rooted causes relating to the individuals upbringing and parenting. Thus it can be treated by applying problem solving skills training which comprises of developing interpersonal cognitive problem - solving skills. This approach stresses on the manner in which children approach and perceive various situations, i.e., the thought processes involved while reacting to a given situation. This approach attempts to treat children with conduct disorders by engaging them in a step by step approach to solve interpersonal problems, which according to researchers, is the root of such disorder. Furthermore, this approach seeks to focus on developing prosocial behavior among such children with a view to directly reinforce positive behavior within them. Another method of treatment of this disorder, as propagated by some, include cognitive problem solving skills which implies application of real life situations. Therapists are also widely preferred as an alternative method of treatment among others such as role playing, modeling and practice, reinforcement and mild punishments15. According to a research regarding the coping strategies used by children aged 3 to 6 it was found that older children generally used internalizing and distancing strategies as compared to the younger children. Similarly there were significant differences between the coping strategies displayed young by boys and girls16. 6. Conclusion: The examination and study of various researches relating to conduct disorders and overt aggression among young children and adolescents was aimed at offering new insights into the various causes, effects and remedies that trigger off such disorders. The study of causes and effects of conduct disorders and other similar disorders that leads to anti social behavior among children is important, not only to the practitioners and researchers but also to the educationists and parents since the familiarity of such aspects helps in further and better understanding of children diagnosed with such disorders. It also helps in reducing, controlling and restraining the violent behavior and implementing a fair educational framework which seeks to assist such children in dealing with their anger, envy and other emotional disturbances that are the root cause of such disorders. It is of utmost significance to investigate into the causes of such behavior and research into the remedial measures so as to have a better understanding of the neural mechanism and mental status of such individuals and assist the highly vulnerable juvenile population by providing appropriate and effective remedial measures. References: Books Connor, D. F., Barkley, R. A., (). Aggression and Antisocial Behavior in Children and Adolescents, Guilford Press, Pp. 32 Martin, A., Volkmar, F. R., Lewis, M., (2007). Lewiss Child and Adolescent Psychiatry; A Comprehensive Textbook, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, Pp. 470 Coie, J. D., Dodge, K. A., Kupersmidt, J. B., (1990). Peer Group Behavior and Social Status, Peer Rejection in Childhood, Cambridge University Press Nathan, P. E., Gorman, J. M., (2007). A Guide to Treatments that Work, Oxford University Press Pp. 84 Hill, J., Maughan, B., (2001). Conduct Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence, Cambridge University Press, Pp. 1 Journals Stadler, C., Schmeck, K., Nowraty, I., Muller, W. E., Poustka, F., (2004). Platelet 5 - HT Uptake in Boys with Conduct Disorder, Neuropscyhobiology, Vol. 50, No. 3, Pp. 244 - 251 Weil, V., Matthys, W., Cohen - Kettenis, P. C., Van Engeland, H, (2002). Effective Treatments of School - Aged Conduct Disordered Children: Recommendations for Changing Clinincal and Research Practices, European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Vol. 11, Pp. 79 – 84 Van Goozen, S. H. M., Fairchild, G., (2008). How Can Study of Biological Processes Help Design New Interventions in Children with severe Antisocial Behavior? Development and Pschopathology, Vol. 20, Pp. 941 - 973 Eisenberg, N., (2005). Age Changes in Prosocial Responding and Moral Reasoning in Adolescence and Early Adulthood, Journal of Research and Adolescence, Vol. 15, Pp. 253 - 260 Lovett, B. J., Sheffield, R. A., (2007). Affective Empathy Deficits in Aggressive Children and Adolescents: A Critical Review, Clinical Psychology Review, Vol. 27, Pp. 1 - 13 Crick, N. R., Bigbee, M. A., (1998). Relational and Overt Forms of Peer Victimization: A Multiinformant Approach, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Vol. 33, Pp. 337 - 347 Phelps, C. E., (2001). Childrens Responses to Overt and Relational Aggression, Journal of Clinical and Child Psychology, Vol. 30, No.2, Pp. 240 - 250 Papolos, D., Hennen, J., Cockerham, M., (2005). Obsessive Fears About Harm to Self or Others and Overt Aggressive Behavior in Youth, Journal of Affective Disorders, Pp. 100 List of Figures: Figure 1: Estimated Prevalence of CD in Cross Sectional Studies from the General Population Source: Connor, D. F., Barkley, R. A., (). Aggression and Antisocial Behavior in Children and Adolescents, Guilford Press, Pp. 32 Read More