Antisocial Behavior Disorders Research Articles

Antisocial Behavior and Personality Disorders

Present classifications fall short of helping clinicians to systematically approach syndromes of antisocial (A-S) behavior. Various clinical forms of A-S behavior derive from different levels of personality organization (normal, neurotic, and borderline level) whereas certain personality disorders (PD) display specific antisocial "profiles" and form the horizontal continuum of antisocial behavior. The borderline level of personality and pathological narcissism stand behind A-S PD, Narcissistic PD, and Histrionic PD. The authors propose that the disorders should be regarded as spectrum disorders. Paranoid PD and "pure" Borderline PD complete the list of PDs manifesting A-S behaviors. Finally, diagnostic instruments for clinical approach to and research of A-S PD are presented.

Frontal‐lobe cognitive dysfunction in conduct disorder adolescents

Behavioral similarities between antisocial behavior disorders and frontal-lobe cerebral impairment have led to suggestions that conduct disorders are attributable to disinhibition deficit associated with frontal-lobe cerebral functions. This study compared the performance of 21 conduct disorder adolescents on measures of cognitive processes associated with frontal-lobe functions with that of a matched comparison sample. Conduct disorder adolescents performed more poorly on measures sensitive to frontal-lobe dysfunction (conceptual perseveration, poorly sustained attention, impaired sequencing on memory and motor tasks), but not on non-frontal-lobe specific cognitive measures. Although the findings support a neurobehavioral explanation of antisocial behavior as a product of cerebral disinhibition, caution is urged in overinterpreting causal relationships through neurobehavioral data.

Antisocial behavior and post-traumatic stress disorder in Vietnam veterans.

Assessment data from 118 Vietnam-era veterans seeking psychological services at two Los Angeles Veterans Administration Medical Centers were analyzed to examine the potential relationships between number of preadult and adult antisocial behaviors, as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III; American Psychiatric Association, 1980) criteria for antisocial personality disorder, level of combat exposure, and development of combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Results of hierarchical regression analyses indicated that combat exposure level was related significantly to PTSD symptomatology, whereas number of preadult antisocial behaviors was not. However, both combat exposure level and preadult behaviors, which were not correlated significantly, were related significantly to number of adult antisocial behaviors. There were no significant interaction effects. Results were consistent with a theoretical model of PTSD development that emphasizes the role of trauma vs. premorbid characterological factors. In addition, the significant association between combat exposure and adult antisocial behavior indicates that trauma may play a role in the development and/or maintenance of adult antisocial behaviors observed in some Vietnam veterans.

Neuropsychological assessment of executive functions in self-reported delinquents

AbstractDeficits in “executive” neuropsychological functions have been proposed to underlie the development of antisocial behavior such as juvenile delinquency. Results of research into the executive functions of delinquents have been mixed, and studies have been hampered by reliance on small samples of adjudicated subjects and questionable validity of the tests administered. This research examined the performance of a large unselected birth cohort of adolescent boys and girls on five tests of executive function that have documented reliability and validity. It is the first such study to use self-reports of antisocial behavior. Executive deficits were shown only by a subgroup of delinquent subjects with childhood comorbidity of antisocial behavior and attention deficit disorder; that subgroup's behavior was also rated as more aggressive and impulsive than comparison groups'. Group differences on executive measures remained significant after the effects of overall IQ were statistically controlled. Also, delinquents who had been detected by police did not show poorer executive functions than subjects with equivalent self-reports of delinquent behavior who had evaded official detection, suggesting that executive deficits are related to the development of antisocial behavior itself, and not simply to risk of detection.

The Causes of Crime: New Biological Approaches.

Introduction: Biological factors in crime causation: the reactions of social scientists Sarnoff A. Mednick Part I. Methodological questions and implications: 1. Some cautions for the biological approach to crime causation Gordon Trasler 2. Watch out for that last variable Malcolm W. Klein 3. Implications of biological findings for criminological research David P. Farrington 4. Definitions of antisocial behaviour in biosocial research Preben Wolf Part II. Evidence for the role of genetics: 5. Genetic factors in the etiology of criminal behaviour Sarnoff A. Mednick, William F. Gabrielli, Jr., and Barry Hutchings 6. Genetic and environmental factors in antisocial behaviour disorders C. R. Cloninger and I. I. Gottesman Part II. Psychophysiological and neurophysiological factors: 7. Autonomic nervous system factors in criminal behaviour Peter H. Venables 8. Electroencephalogram among criminals Jan Volavka 9. Childhood diagnostic and neurophysiological predictors of teenage arrest rates: an eight-year prospective study James H. Satterfield Part IV. Neurological factors: 10. Cerebral dysfunctions and persistent juvenile delinquency W. Buikhuisen 11. Violent behaviour and cerebral hemisphere function Israel Nachshon and Deborah Denno 12. Perceptual asymmetries and information processing in psychopaths Robert D. Hare and John F. Connolly Part V. Biological Factors: 13. The neuroendocrinology and neurochemistry of antisocial behaviour Robert T. Rubin 14. Testosterone and adrenaline: aggressive antisocial behaviour in normal adolescent males Dan Olweus 15. Personality correlates of plasma testosterone levels in young delinquents: an example of person-situation interaction? Daisy Schalling 16. Metabolic dysfunctions among habitually violent offenders: reactive hypoglycemia and cholesterol levels Matti Virkkunen Part VI. Treatment Issues: 17. The role of psychosurgical studies in the control of antisocial behaviour Mark A. J. O'Callaghan and Douglas Carroll 18. Pharmacological approaches to the treatment of antisocial behaviour C. R. Cloninger Indexes.

Genetic and Perinatal Factors in Antisocial Personality in a Birth Cohort

Abstract Previous research has demonstrated a relationship between perinatal factors, genetic factors, and some kinds of antisocial behavior. The current project investigates the possibility of a similar relationship between perinatal difficulties and/or genetic factors and Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASP). The Danish birth cohort examined here consists of 94 Danish men, half of whom (N = 47) had evidenced serious criminal behavior by age 36. Of these criminal men, 12 met the DSM-III diagnostic criteria for Antisocial Personality Disorder. The results showed no relationship between ASP, genetic variables, and perinatal complications and are interpreted as implying etiological differences between antisocial behavior and Antisocial Personality Disorder.