Gender Differences in the Classification of Disruptive Behavior in Children: Implications for Treatment

• In Event: Confronting Gender Inequality in Criminological Research: Placing the Focus on Female Behaviors and Treatment

Abstract

Disruptive behavior problems are highly heterogeneous symptom clusters, creating many challenges in investigating etiology and planning treatment. The aim of this study was to first identify distinct subgroups of males and females with conduct problems using a data driven approach, and secondly, to investigate whether these subgroups differed in treatment outcome after a 13-week evidence-based crime-prevention program. We used Latent class analysis (LCA) in MPlus to classify 517 males and 420 females age 6-11 into classes based on the presence of conduct disorder or oppositional defiance disorder items from the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). All children were then enlisted into the treatment program Stop Now And Plan (SNAP®), an evidence-based, cognitive-behavioral, and gender-specific crime-prevention program. The LCA revealed four classes of males, which significantly differed in the type and magnitude of their treatment improvements. We were not able to find reliable or meaningful subgroups when we ran the models for females. This study presents novel findings of gender differences in clustering of conduct behaviors, and discuss what they add to our understanding of targeted treatment, with the overarching aim to facilitate and increase treatment success.

Authors

• Areti Smaragdi, Child Development Institute

• Andrea Blackman, Child Development Institute

• Adam Donato, Child Development Institute

• Margaret Walsh, Child Development Institute

• Leena Augimeri, Child Development Institute