DSM-V WORK GROUPS

DSM-V Work Groups

DSM-V Work Groups

1. Introduction

Many antisocial adolescents continue to be antisocial in adulthood, whereas others do not. Currently, we know little about predicting clinical course for those who present with antisocial behavior (ASB) during adolescence. Contributing to this uncertainty, ASB has a heterogeneous etiology. Given that persons with persistent ASB account for a disproportionately large percentage of crimes , identifying methods of discerning adolescents with transient versus persistent ASB is of practical importance.

Research on persistent ASB suggests that an earlier age of onset may predict persistence , as well as pervasiveness. Other studies disagree, reporting that earlier age of onset has no predictive validity , and that antisocial adults both with and without prior conduct disorder (CD) diagnoses have similar levels of demographic and psychopathological risk factors and. In addition, childhood comorbid hyperactivity and CD may predict poor adult outcomes. Finally, higher levels of psychopathic traits in adolescence predict violent recidivism. However, the appropriateness and validity of psychopathy in adolescents is a contentious issue, and its application to adolescents is a relatively new area.

Longitudinal research on males from birth to 26 years suggests 2 main groups of deviant youth. Life-course-persistent (LCP) individuals have ASB beginning as early as age 3 and continuing into adulthood. An adolescence-limited (AL) group consists of people whose antisocial acts are largely committed during the period of adolescence. Although there are a variety of between-group differences, during adolescence, they are currently indistinguishable.

Life-course-persistent individuals are more troublesome for society, committing more violent offenses and exhibiting more drug problems, high-risk behaviors, reliance on social benefits, and psychopathology (Pardini 2006). There are distinct differences between the transient versus persistent offenders. The LCP group members are more likely to have subtle neuropsychological deficits present early in life and are more likely to display victim-oriented violent offenses. Unlike their LCP peers, AL members are less likely to display pervasive ASB and are less prone to violent acts and. The theory suggests that AL adolescents commit antisocial acts with peers and engage primarily in behaviors that symbolize adult privilege and autonomy from parents. If this theory is correct, then ASBs in adolescence should differentially predict persistence to adult ASB.

2. Materials and methods

2.1. Data source

We examined the public data set from Wave 1 of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC; http://niaaa.census.gov/), a nationally representative sample of 43,093 respondents interviewed via face-to-face interviews (for details, see Grant et al ). The target of the survey was the civilian noninstitutionalized population aged 18 years and older residing in the United States including the District of Columbia, Alaska, and Hawaii. The research protocol received full ethical review and human subjects approval from the US Census Bureau and US Office of Management and Budget.

Conduct disorder and ASPD diagnoses used in the present study were provided in the public data set and based on retrospectively reported criteria from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) Alcohol Use Disorder and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule-DSM-IV Version ...