Early identification of chronic offenders: Who is the fledgling psychopath?

Abstract

In this article, the author highlights the need for early intervention for chronic offenders. He reviews evidence suggesting that children who manifest symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity-attention problems (HIA) and conduct problems (CP) are at the greatest risk for chronic offending. He reviews existing theories of the relations among constructs: (a) HIA increases risk in those already at risk and (b) HIA leads to symptoms of CP. In addition, he advances a third theory that children with symptoms of HIA and CP are afflicted with a virulent strain of conduct disorder best described as fledgling psychopathy. The author discusses treatment implications and supporting evidence for each model. Finally, he recommends that the subtype theory receive further consideration and examination.

Cites (13)

1. Adolescence-limited and life-course-persistent antisocial behavior: a developmental taxonomy
   Moffitt, Terrie E. · 1993 · Psychological Review
2. How People Make Their Own Environments: A Theory of Genotype Environment Effects
   Scarr, Sandra, McCartney, Kathleen · 1983 · Child Development
3. Comorbidity of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with conduct, depressive, anxiety, and other disorders
   1991 · American Journal of Psychiatry
4. Personality disorders and the five factor model of personality
   Costa, Paul T., McCrae, Robert R. · 1990 · Journal of Personality Disorders
5. Adult Outcome of Hyperactive Boys: Educational Achievement, Occupational Rank, and Psychiatric Status
   Mannuzza, Salvatore · 1993 · Archives of General Psychiatry
6. Hyperactive Boys Almost Grown Up: I. Psychiatric Status
   Gittelman, Rachel · 1985 · Archives of General Psychiatry
7. Psychiatric status of hyperactives as adults: a controlled prospective 15-year follow-up of 63 hyperactive children
   WEISS, GABRIELLE, HECHTMAN, LILY, MILROY, THOMAS, PERLMAN, TERRYE · 1985 · Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry
8. Child and parent effects in boys' conduct disorder: A reinterpretation.
   Lytton, Hugh · 1990 · Developmental Psychology
9. The Nature of Nurture: Genetic Influence on “Environmental” Measures
   Plomin, Robert, Bergeman, C. S. · 1991 · Behavioral and Brain Sciences
10. A prospective study of delinquency in 110 adolescent boys with attention deficit disorder and 88 normal adolescent boys
    1982 · American Journal of Psychiatry

Show all 13 references

Cited by (43)

1. The Five Factor Model and impulsivity: using a structural model of personality to understand impulsivity
   Whiteside, Stephen P., Lynam, Donald R. · 2001 · Personality and Individual Differences
2. Prior Juvenile Diagnoses in Adults With Mental Disorder: Developmental Follow-Back of a Prospective-Longitudinal Cohort
   Kim-Cohen, Julia, Caspi, Avshalom, Moffitt, Terrie E., Harrington, HonaLee, Milne, Barry J., Poulton, Richie · 2003 · Archives of General Psychiatry
3. The reactive–proactive aggression questionnaire: differential correlates of reactive and proactive aggression in adolescent boys
   Raine, Adrian, Dodge, Kenneth, Loeber, Rolf, Gatzke‐Kopp, Lisa, Lynam, Don, Reynolds, Chandra, Stouthamer‐Loeber, Magda, Liu, Jianghong · 2006 · Aggressive Behavior
4. Research review: the importance of callous-unemotional traits for developmental models of aggressive and antisocial behavior
   Frick, Paul J., White, Stuart F. · 2008 · Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
5. Callous-unemotional traits in a community sample of adolescents
   Essau, Cecilia A., Sasagawa, Satoko, Frick, Paul J. · 2006 · Assessment

See all 809