Parent-child interaction and conduct disorder

Abstract

This paper reviews recent research on the role of parent-child interaction in the etiology of children's conduct disorder. It examines the role of social and family factors in conduct disorder and the possible mechanisms by which these contextual factors might affect parent-child interaction and child problem behavior. A major focus is on research that has compared the patterns of interaction in families with and without conduct-disordered children, using observational methods, in order to test different theoretical explanations about how conduct disorder develops and is maintained. Further research is needed on the neglected area of positive parent-child interaction, which may be just as important as conflictual processes in determining the development of conduct disorder. Theoretical and methodological issues are raised about the problems of determining causality from correlational research, and the possibilities for naturalistic experimental studies are discussed.