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Early identification of individuals at risk for antisocial personality

disorder
JONATHAN HILL
BJP 2003, 182:s11-s14.
Access the most recent version at DOI: 10.1192/bjp.182.44.s11

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B R I T I S H J O U R N A L O F P S YC H I AT RY ( 2 0 0 3 ) , 1 8 2 ( s u p p l . 4 4 ) , s 11 ^ s 1 4

Early identification of individuals at risk RESULTS


Clinical policy
for antisocial personality disorder* From a clinical and policy perspective, the
strength of the continuity from conduct
JONATHAN HILL problems to antisocial personality disorder
is ample grounds for making strenuous
efforts to prevent the appearance of aggres-
sive and disruptive behaviours in young
children, and to intervene early once they
have been identified. It is not the purpose
of this paper to review the evidence for
Background Antisocial personality The identification of childhood precursors the effectiveness of prevention programmes
of adult psychiatric disorders offers the and of early interventions for conduct pro-
disorder is usually preceded by serious and
possibility of early intervention and hence blems, but a brief summary highlights the
persistent conduct problems starting in need for further refinements in early identi-
prevention. In the case of antisocial person-
early childhood, and so there is little ality disorder the early indicators are remark- fication. A small number of adequately
difficulty in identifying an at-risk group. ably clear. Starting with Robins’ (1966) designed randomised controlled trials of
classic follow-up of children referred to a preventive programmes to reduce conduct
Aims To address six key areas clinic for conduct problems, numerous stu- problems have been carried out, some of
concerning the relationship between early dies have shown that persistent and perva- which have yielded promising results.
conduct problems and antisocial sive aggressive and disruptive behaviours Equally, whereas there have been some
seen before the age of 11 years are strongly significant improvements, often the effects
personality disorder.
associated with persistence of antisocial have been quite small; and some studies
behaviours through adolescence and into have shown no benefits (LeMarquand
Method Review of recent researchinto
adult life. As Robins described, the risk ex- et al,
al, 2001). There is substantial support
early identification of and intervention in for the effectiveness of parent management
tends far beyond antisocial behaviours to
child conduct problems, following up to unstable relationships, unreliable parenting training programmes in reducing overall
possible adult antisocial behaviour. and underachievement in education and at levels of conduct problems in children
work (Moffitt et al,al, 2002). This broad con- (Kazdin, 2000), and for the effectiveness
Results Conduct problems are stellation of difficulties is reflected in DSM– of stimulants where conduct problems are
predictive of antisocial personality IV antisocial personality disorder (American associated with attention-deficit hyper-
disorder independently of the associated Psychiatric Association, 1994). Further- activity disorder (ADHD) (Swanson et al, al,
more, children who do not have conduct 2001). Nevertheless, there has been consid-
adverse family and social factors.
problems are very unlikely to subsequently erable variability in outcomes. Parent
Prediction could be aided through training has been found to be less effective
develop antisocial personality disorder
identification of subtypes of conduct (which is rare without a history of conduct for the higher-risk families characterised
problems.There is limited evidence on problems). Conduct disorder is a specific by socio-economic disadvantage, marital
diagnosis within DSM–IV, which requires discord or single parent status, high paren-
which children have problems that are
antisocial acts seen generally in older chil- tal stress and maternal unresolved loss or
likely to persist and which will improve; trauma (Routh et al,al, 1995; Kazdin, 1997).
dren and adolescents. In this paper the
children who desist from early conduct terms ‘conduct problems’ and ‘the conduct Children with more severe or chronic pro-
problems and those with onset in disorders’ are used to denote serious oppo- blems or with comorbid conditions are less
adolescence are also vulnerable as adults. sitional, aggressive or antisocial behaviours likely to do well (Ruma et al, al, 1996).
whether or not they meet DSM criteria for Evidence of the long-term effectiveness of
Conclusions The predictive power of conduct disorder. psychosocial treatments for conduct
the childhood precursors of antisocial problems, and of stimulants for conduct
METHOD problems comorbid with ADHD, is lacking.
personality disorder provides ample
justification for early intervention.Greater Selective review of findings published over
understanding of subgroups within the the past 10 years in childhood predictors Early identification
of antisocial personality disorder, and
broad category of antisocial children and It may be that the problem will be solved
consideration of issues still to be addressed
adults should assist with devising and simply through better treatment techniques;
in relation to early identification of
however, attention to six issues in early
targeting interventions. individuals at risk.
identification may also be of value in gener-
Declaration of interest None. ating ideas for the development of inter-
*Paper presented at the second conference of the British
ventions. First, conduct problems in young
and Irish Group for the Study of Personality Disorders children are associated with many other
(BIGSPD),University of Leicester,UK, 31January to adverse factors such as ineffective parenting
3 February 2001. practices, discordant and unstable families,

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HI
HIL L

poor peer relationships and educational years, which probably reflected a range of followed by early fighting and proceeding
failure. It is important to clarify whether family adversities (Henry et al,
al, 1996). to more serious violence; a ‘covert’ path-
it is the child’s disorder that requires early way starting with lying and stealing, and
identification, or these associated factors going on to more serious damage to
or both. Second, conduct problems in Sources of heterogeneity in the property; and an ‘authority conflict’
childhood are generally identified on the conduct disorders pathway in which oppositional and defiant
basis of a broad cluster of behaviours. behaviours are prominent.
The identification of subtypes may lead to Longitudinal studies from childhood to A further distinction, between ‘reactive’
a better understanding of underlying adulthood have used a wide range of ways and ‘proactive’ antisocial behaviours, cuts
mechanisms, and hence to improved match- to characterise conduct problems. Gener- across this three-category typology.
ing of treatment to clinical needs. Third, in ally they have made use of summary scores Reactive acts occur in response to actual
approximately 50% of children with early generated from a range of questionnaires or perceived threat from others, whereas
conduct problems these do not persist into completed by teachers and parents proactive behaviours are initiated by
adolescence and adult life. Ways of (Farrington et al,al, 1990; Fergusson et al, al, the individuals (Dodge & Coie, 1987).
distinguishing persisters and desisters are 1996; Moffitt et al,al, 1996). The consistency Reactive aggression is thought to involve
needed. Fourth, given the intractability of of the findings may suggest that it does not angry retaliation, in contrast to the
behaviour problems in some young matter much how the problem is defined. cold unprovoked calculation of proactive
children, we need to ask whether identifi- Equally, there are pointers to potentially aggression. Dodge et al (1997) reported
cation at an earlier age is possible. Fifth, important kinds of heterogeneity. Children that, compared with children showing
the adult outcomes of children who show with conduct problems and hyperactivity/ proactive aggression, ‘reactive’ children
early conduct problems and then desist, inattention differ from those with ‘pure’ were more likely to have been physically
and of those whose problems start in conduct disorder in that their problems abused, to have poor peer relationships,
adolescence, need to be considered. Finally, are more severe and likely to persist, and to have shown aggression from an earlier
we need to attend to the adult outcomes they are more likely to have neuropsycholo- age and to have attention-deficit and
that we are attempting to anticipate. It gical deficits (Lynam, 1996). Lynam (1998) hyperactivity symptoms. A central idea
may be that specific antisocial outcomes has argued that children with attention- in Dodge’s model is that reactive aggres-
have different antecedents from those of deficit hyperactivity problems are ‘fledgling sion is mediated by a readiness to per-
antisocial personality disorder. psychopaths’, implying that they are more ceive hostile intent in the actions of
likely to show in adult life the combination others. However, the evidence for this is
of callousness, superficial charm and anti- inconsistent. At this stage these can be
social behaviour that characterises a sub- considered as promising subtypes that
What is predictive? group of adults with antisocial personality may lead to a more precise specification
It is possible that, because conduct prob- disorder. Frick and colleagues give priority of mechanisms, and hence provide poin-
lems are associated with a wide range of to callous–unemotional traits in childhood. ters to different kinds of intervention.
adverse individual, family and social fac- In a series of studies they have demon- Longitudinal studies to determine whether
tors, the conduct problems per se are not strated that children with antisocial pro- they differ in course are needed.
the antecedents of antisocial personality blems who exhibit these traits differ from
disorder but are markers for these other other children with antisocial problems
difficulties that are the true antecedents. (Barry et al,
al, 2000) in apparently having Who are the persisters
In general, the evidence supports conduct fewer verbal deficits (Loney et al, al, 1998) and desisters?
problems as true antecedents (Farrington and in coming from families that are not We have already referred to the poor out-
et al,
al, 1990). For example, studies that have characterised by dysfunctional parenting look of children with both conduct disorder
assessed both conduct problems and quality practices seen generally in the conduct and ADHD symptoms. On the basis of
of peer relationships, and then followed disorders (Wootton et al, al, 1997). Children retrospective reports within a large epi-
children over several years, have consis- exhibiting callous–unemotional traits demiological study, Robins & Price
tently found that early conduct problems may also have a deficit in processing behav- (1991) found that the number of childhood
predict later antisocial behaviours (Trem- ioural evidence of distress in others. Asso- antisocial problems is associated with risk
blay et al,
al, 1995; Woodward & Fergusson, ciations between scores assessing callous of antisocial personality disorder. Studies
1999). By contrast, the role of peer and unemotional characteristics and a re- within childhood provide some further
relationships has been less clear. This duced ability to recognise fear and sadness clues regarding risk of persistence. Loeber
should not, however, be interpreted to have been shown in young adolescents re- et al (2000) found that early fighting and
mean that the associated factors are un- cruited in mainstream schools and children hyperactivity predicted persistence of anti-
important. For example in the Dunedin with identified emotional and behavioural social behaviours over a 6-year period
Multidisciplinary Health and Development problems (Blair & Coles, 2003; Stevens among boys referred for conduct problems.
Study, violent crime at the age of 18 years et al,
al, 2001). In a prospective study of a representative
was predicted by the combination of tem- Loeber et al (1993) have proposed that general population sample from ages 7–9
peramental lack of control (quick to show three contrasting patterns of childhood years to 14–16 years, persisters had the
negative emotions when frustrated, poor antisocial problems reflect different path- highest levels of family adversity and lower
impulse control) and number of changes ways for different behaviour patterns: an IQ and self-esteem (Fergusson et al,
al, 1996).
of parental figure before the age of 13 ‘overt’ pathway characterised by bullying, Children with early conduct problems that

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E A R LY I D E N T I F I C AT I ON OF R I S K F O R A N T I S O C I A L P E R S ON A L I T Y D I S O R D E R

did not persist had levels of these risk fac- higher rates of depression and anxiety dis- response to signs of distress in others,
tors that were intermediate between those orders, both self- and informant-rated, arising from a deficit in processing behav-
of persisters and of children who lacked and they were socially isolated, with few ioural evidence of that distress (Blair et al,
al,
early behavioural problems. Persisters were friends. They shared the poor educational 1997). There is supportive evidence that,
more likely than those whose early anti- and work records of the life-course persis- compared with other offenders, adults with
social behaviours had remitted to have a tent group who were antisocial as adults. psychopathic disorder have reduced auto-
deviant peer group in adolescence. Whether Likewise, those with onset in adolescence, nomic responses to distress cues (Chaplin
this was a reflection or a cause of persis- provisionally termed by Moffitt ‘adoles- et al,
al, 1995; Blair et al,
al, 1997). As we saw
tence is not clear; however, it is consistent cence limited’, were not free of problems earlier, a subgroup of children with
with Sampson and Laub’s argument that a by the age of 26 years. Compared with antisocial problems who exhibit callous–
key factor in determining persistence may those who were not significantly antisocial unemotional traits has been identified that
be the presence or absence of social bonds in childhood or adolescence, these young may parallel adults with psychopathic
and controls (Sampson & Laub, 1994). men had higher rates of documented and disorder. No studies have yet tested for
self-reported drug and property crimes, continuity between child and adult
Earlier predictors and their informants reported more psychopathic traits by following these
depression and anxiety symptoms. children into adult life.
We might suppose that, given the stability
of conduct problems from the age of 3
years onwards, earlier precursors should DISCUSSION
Heterogeneity within antisocial
be readily identifiable. However, the find- personality disorder
ings have been inconsistent. For example, Children at risk for future antisocial per-
Thus far in this paper the assumption has sonality disorder are readily identified, but
the idea has been extensively investigated
been made that the DSM–IV antisocial per- evidence on the long-term effectiveness of
that early ‘difficult’ temperament, com-
sonality disorder category best summarises prevention and treatment programmes is
prising traits such as predominantly
the antisocial outcomes of interest. There limited. Some progress has been made in
negative emotions and ready frustration,
is little doubt that it succeeds as a broad- identifying subgroups of children with anti-
contributes to irritable parenting, which in
brush characterisation of antisocial behav- social problems in which different causal
turn increases the risk for conduct prob-
iour and associated wider social dysfunc- processes operate, and therefore for which
lems. Studies using assessments of tempera-
tion. However, it lacks specificity. In there are different treatment needs. The
ment based on parental reports have
common with all DSM diagnoses, it re- available research does not yet tell us
yielded some positive findings, but these
quires the presence of a number of mal- whether differences in the patterning, or as-
are vulnerable to parental attributions.
adaptive behaviours or mental states sociated features, of childhood conduct
Recent studies have failed to demonstrate
identified from a larger set. Hence, the re- problems are predictive of distinctive adult
consistently that observational measures
quirements can be met in numerous ways. outcomes. If is possible that this review
of temperament made in the first year of life
This may limit the investigation of more was subject to selection bias.
predict later conduct problems (Belsky et
specific causal factors, and so a more
al,
al, 1998; Aguilar et al,
al, 2000). Early attach-
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