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- Title
Oppositional defiant disorder dimensions and subtypes among detained male adolescent offenders.
- Authors
Aebi, Marcel; Barra, Steffen; Bessler, Cornelia; Steinhausen, Hans‐Christoph; Walitza, Susanne; Plattner, Belinda
- Abstract
Background In adolescent offenders, oppositional defiant disorder ( ODD) and its dimensions/subtypes have been frequently ignored due to the stronger focus on criminal behaviours. The revised criteria of the DSM-5 now allow diagnosing ODD in older youths independent of conduct disorder ( CD). This study aimed at analysing ODD dimensions/subtypes and their relation to suicidality, comorbid psychiatric disorders, and criminal behaviours after release from detention in a sample of detained male adolescents. Methods Suicidality and psychiatric disorders (including ODD symptoms) were assessed in a consecutive sample of 158 male adolescents ( Mage = 16.89 years) from the Zurich Juvenile Detention Centre. Based on previous research findings, an irritable ODD dimension and a defiant/vindictive ODD dimension based on ODD symptoms were defined. Latent Class Analysis ( LCA) was used to identify distinct subtypes of adolescent offenders according to their ODD symptom profiles. Logistic regression and Cox regression were used to analyse the relations of ODD dimensions/ ODD subtypes to comorbid psychopathology and criminal reoffenses from official data. Results The ODD-irritable dimension, but not the ODD defiant/vindictive dimension predicted comorbid anxiety, suicidality and violent reoffending. LCA identified four subtypes, namely, a no- ODD subtype, a severe ODD subtype and two moderate ODD subtypes with either defiant or irritable symptoms. The irritable ODD subtype and the severe ODD subtype were related to suicidality and comorbid affective/anxiety disorders. The irritable ODD subtype was the strongest predictor of criminal (violent) reoffending even when controlling for CD. Conclusions The present findings confirm the presence of ODD dimensions/subtypes in a highly disturbed adolescent offender sample. Irritable youths were at risk of suicide and persistent criminal behaviours. Due to the severe consequences of irritability, a standardized assessment approach and a specific treatment is needed in prison to prevent suicide among the detainees and further harm to the society. As defined in the DSM-5, the present findings confirm the validity of ODD and ODD dimensions/subtypes as a diagnostic category among older youths.
- Subjects
RECIDIVISM -- Risk factors; BEHAVIOR disorders in children; CHI-squared test; CONFIDENCE intervals; PSYCHOLOGY of juvenile offenders; LATENT structure analysis; MENTAL illness; PROBABILITY theory; COMORBIDITY; LOGISTIC regression analysis; SOCIAL disabilities; SOCIOECONOMIC factors; BEHAVIOR disorders; SUICIDAL ideation; PROPORTIONAL hazards models; KAPLAN-Meier estimator; ODDS ratio
- Publication
Journal of Child Psychology, 2016, Vol 57, Issue 6, p729
- ISSN
0021-9630
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/jcpp.12473