Childhood Psychopathology Paper

Childhood psychopathology has gathered much attention within developmental psychology in order to understand the pathways and progression of aggressive and antisocial behaviour (Kerig, Ludlow & Wenar, 2012). This essay will discuss the research on one specific area of child psychopathology; conduct disorder (CD). The DSM-IV-TR classifies CD as ‘repetitive and persistent patterns of behaviour in which either the basic rights of others or major age-appropriate societal norms or rules are violated’ (APA, 2013). Due to the levels of aggression, links with criminal behaviour and various other problems that can persist into later life, CD is considered an important psychiatric disorder (Frick, 2012). Conduct problems (CP) can present in four categories: …show more content…
Adolescent-onset is characterised by the lack of CD characteristics prior to age ten, there is less aggression and severe behaviour problems at age of onset (Frick, 2012; Kerig, Ludlow & Wenar, 2012). However, youth with adolescent-onset seem to show heightened levels of rebellion. Symptoms of CD are less likely to continue to show these behaviours into adulthood however, outcomes are often still negative with patterns of rebellion still persisting (Kerig, Ludlow & Wenar, 2012; López-Romero, Romero, & Andershed, …show more content…
Arguments questioning this pathway of CD being mislabelled as a disorder, and instead reflecting an exaggeration of the normative process of adolescent rebellion have emerged from the literature (Frick, 2012; Moffitt et al., 2008). Some have also questioned if many of those with adolescent-onset CD deserve a diagnosis at all (Moffitt et al., 2008). However, as will be discussed later in the essay, assessing and diagnosing CD is not simply about looking at the symptoms an individual is displaying. It involves assessing the many risk factors and analysing the trajectory, rate and severity of behaviours, including the age of onset (Frick,