Title:
The presence of depressive syptomatology and maltreatment history in youth with conduct disorder
Author:
Kathryn A. Cunningham
Thesis Advisor:
Sharon Green-Hennessy
Committee Member:
Caroyln M. Barry
Committee Member:
Mary Jo Coiro
Committee Member:
Stephen E. Fowl
Committee Member:
Marianna E. Carlucci
Degree Granting Institution:
Loyola University Maryland--College of Arts and Sciences
Place:
Baltimore (Md.)
Publisher:
Loyola University Maryland
Date Created:
2018
Type of Resource:
text
Genre:
thesis
Language:
eng
Format:
application/pdf
Physical Form:
electronic
Digital Source:
born digital
Abstract:
Conduct disorder (CD) is a largely child and adolescent disorder that is characterized by a blatant disregard for rules and others’ wellbeing. In the DSM-5 there is now a callous-unemotional (CU) specifier for individuals who display apathy, lack empathy, and/or show deficient affect. CD has been and continues to be a very difficult psychological disorder to treat, perhaps in part due to the high level of comorbidity seen in this population. One of the most common comorbidities is depressive symptomatology, seen in both CU and non-CU subtypes. Additionally, childhood maltreatment is highly common in both individuals with CD and with individuals suffering from depressive symptoms. Research has yet to link CD, CU, depressive symptomatology, and maltreatment. It was hypothesized in the current study that levels of depressive symptomatology would differ across subtypes of CD, that maltreatment would predict CU/CD group membership, and that among the CU/CD group, maltreatment would predict level of depressive symptomatology. The study used data from 2,576 individuals ages 18-28 years from the larger Add Health project. Participants were divided into three groups: non-CU/non-CD, non-CU/CD, and CU/CD. Results of a multiple regression analysis indicated that belonging to the non-CU/non-CD group, relative to the CU/CD reference group, significantly predicted level of depressive symptomatology. In contrast, being in the non-CU/CD group, relative to the CU/CD reference group, was not a significant predictor of depressive symptoms, despite group means indicating the highest level of depressive symptoms in non-CU/CD, followed by CU/CD and then non-CU/non-CD groups. The potential role of child maltreatment was assessed by dividing participants into groups based on amount of childhood maltreatment experienced: none, moderate, and high. Maltreatment did not predict group membership among CD individuals (CU/CD or non-CU/CD) when controlling for sex and educational level. Furthermore, level of maltreatment did not significantly predict level of depressive symptoms within the CU/CD group, when controlling for race, income, and age. The results and implications of the current study’s findings are discussed, including theories as to why previous research regarding depressive symptoms and childhood maltreatment history has been largely inconsistent and inconclusive. Implications of further dividing CU/CD into primary and secondary constructs and the impact this may have on understanding potential links among CU, CD, depressive symptomatology, and maltreatment are discussed.
Subject:
Clinical psychology
Degree:
Doctor of Clinical Psychology
Level:
Doctoral
Discipline:
Psychology
Restrictions on Access:
Author has given permission to make this work available online.
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Identifier:
CunninghamKA-18
