Welmoet B. Van Kammen

Antisocial Behavior and Mental Health Problems : Explanatory Factors in Childhood and Adolescence

Contents: Preface. Introduction: Juvenile Delinquency, Substance Use, Sexual Behavior, and Mental Health Problems. Data-Collection Procedures. Measurement Instruments and Constructs. Prevalence, Frequency, and Onset. Explanatory Factors for Delinquency. Explanatory Factors for Substance Use. Explanatory Factors for Sexual Intercourse. Explanatory Factors for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity and Conduct Problems. Explanatory Factors for Physical Aggression and Covert Behaviors. Explanatory Factors for Depressed Mood and Shy/Withdrawn Behavior. Explanatory Factors for Multiple Risk and Multiple Problem Boys. Summary and Conclusions. Methodological Appendix.

Development of a New Measure of Self-Reported Antisocial Behavior for Young Children: Prevalence and Reliability

Delinquent careers, typically, have been thought to begin in adolescence (ages 12 to 16) rather than during late childhood (7 to 11). The commission of offenses by elementary school aged youngsters, however, has attracted more attention from criminologists in recent years, which has resulted in some new insights. First, offenders now are said to engage in delinquent acts at an earlier age than was previously thought. Second, an early onset of offending, according to some studies, is predictive not only of longer offending careers but also of higher rates of offending during the career. Third, surveys show that a surprising proportion of elementary school age children commit offenses that do not lead to criminal prosecution, and thus do not show up in crime statistics (Loeber, 1987).

Substance Use and Its Relationship to Conduct Problems and Delinquency in Young Boys.

The paper presents lifetime and six-month prevalence of substance use by 1st, 4th, and 7th graders (N=2573). Smoking and alcohol consumption was surprisingly high even for 1st graders. The use of developmentally more advanced substances, such as marijuana, was associated with the use of substances that typically emerge earlier, such as beer. Significantly more of the multiple substance users in the 1st and 4th grade were already engaged in a variety of conduct problems and delinquent acts than were either single users or nonusers. The findings show that substance use, even at Grades 1 and 4, is an indicator of boys who commit a wide variety of problem behaviors. For the 7th graders, the use of marijuana was especially associated with the commission of more serious delinquent acts. Multiple substance use reported by the 7th graders also signified a higher frequency and volume of use. The results of the study are related to a developmental conceptualization of conduct problems, delinquency and substance use.

CSF norepinephrine in schizophrenia is elevated prior to relapse after haloperidol withdrawal

Thirty-two male DSM-III diagnosed schizophrenic patients received a lumbar puncture (LP) during chronic haloperidol treatment that was followed by replacement with placebo for up to 6 weeks. Fourteen patients relapsed on placebo within 6 weeks. Patients received a second LP at the time of relapse or at the end of 6 weeks if they had not relapsed. Bunney-Hamburg Global Psychosis Ratings of the day and the hours of sleep of the night before the LP were obtained, as were the Brief Psychiatric Ratings Scale (BPRS) ratings during the week of the LPs. CSF norepinephrine (NE), 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG), homovanillic acid (HVA), and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5 HIAA) concentrations were measured with high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Patients who relapsed had significantly higher CSF NE levels on and off haloperidol than patients who did not relapse. CSF MHPG was higher in the relapsers in the drug-free condition only, but CSF HVA and 5-HIAA were not significantly different in either condition. In the drug-free relapsed patients, CSF NE correlated significantly with the psychosis ratings of the day and hours of sleep the night prior to the LP. Our data indicate that elevated CSF NE levels during neuroleptic treatment may predict behavioral decompensation after discontinuing the medication.

Are Fluctuations in Delinquent Activities Related to the Onset and Offset in Juvenile Illegal Drug Use and Drug Dealing

The authors examine fluctuations in the type and rate of delinquency as a function of the onset, continuation, and discontinuation of illegal drug use and drug dealing. The study subjects included 506 urban adolescent males between the ages thirteen and fifteen, who were followed up over six half-yearly data waves. Previous involvement in property offenses increased the risk of the onset of illegal drug use, while previous involvement in both property and person-related offenses increased the risk of the onset of drug dealing. The onset of drug use or drug dealing was associated with an increase in person-related offenses and carrying a concealed weapon. Initiation of drug dealing was uniquely related to an increased frequency of property offenses, particularly car-related theft and fraud. Discontinuation of illegal drug use or drug dealing was associated with a decrease in delinquency.

Data collection and management: A practical guide.

Introduction Planning and Budget Hiring Training of Interviewers Participant Acquisition and Retention Supervision of Interviewers Data Management Quality Control and Research Ethics

Disappearing Depression in a Population Sample of Boys

Although there is evidence that rates of depressive disorders increase during adolescence in girls, the data on the effects of age on depression in boys have been contradictory. In order to shed further light on this issue, the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ) was administered to a general population sample of approximately 1,500 boys ages 6 to 15 years, during four annual interviews. Longitudinal analyses revealed a substantial decrease in reported depressive symptoms between the ages of 8 and 11. The implications of these findings for developmental epidemiological research on depression are discussed.

Family Participation in Evaluating Systems of Care: Family, Research, and Service System Perspectives.

Service programs are paying increased attention to family participation in research and evaluation activities. This article describes the results of a survey that was conducted in 37 sites constituting 31 programs funded by the Center for Mental Health Services to build systems of care for children with serious mental health challenges and their families. At each site, the program director, the evaluator, and a family member completed a questionnaire about family involvement in research. Respondents reported relatively high family participation in such activities as modification of questionnaires, collecting data, and reviewing results. In addition, most family members were compensated for their research tasks. Low family participation was reported in the hiring of research staff and data processing. Overall, agreement among the three types of respondents was moderately high. Focus groups conducted in sites with the highest degree of family involvement in research revealed that family participation was perceived to improve the quality of data collected and, ultimately, the services provided to children and their families.

Intitation of Drug Selling and its Relationship with Illicit Drug Use and Serious Delinquency in Adolescent Boys

The longitudinal relationship of illicit drug use, violent crime, serious theft and the onset of drug selling is demonstrated in a follow-up study of 506 urban adolescent males between the ages 13 and 15 when the number of boys who started drug selling increased dramatically. Also, the boys’ yearly prevalence rates and frequency of drug selling and illicit drug use increased in each of the three years while this was not as clearly observed for serious theft and violent crime. The typical age of onset of the boys’ drug selling was later than that of illicit drug use and serious delinquency. Boys’ involvement in multiple antecedent problem behaviors increased the likelihood of their initiating drug selling. Previous illicit drug use and violent crime were independent predictors of the onset of drug selling while living in a neighborhood where drug related offenses are common, being African-American and having drug using and/or selling friends increased the likelihood for adolescent boys initiating drug selling by almost a factor of 10.

Decreased Spinal Fluid Monoamine Metabolites and Norepinephrine in Schizophrenic Patients with Brain Atrophy

Spinal fluid studies in schizophrenia have not led to the discovery of consistent differences from normals and other comparison groups (Berger et al. 1980; Post et al. 1975). The frequently observed increased variance in the CSF of schizophrenic patients has been explained by the heterogeneous nature of this illness. Attempts to subgroup schizophrenic patients on the basis of CSF has led to associations between reduced homo vanillic acid (HVA) accumulations after probenecid and patients with a poor prognosis (Bowers 1973), decreased HVA and remitted acute schizophrenics (Post et al. 1975), and elevated norepinephrine (NE) and paranoid patients (Lake et al. 1980). Post et al. (1975) found a correlation between 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) concentrations and Schneiderian first-rank symptoms in acutely ill schizophrenics, and we recently found low 5-HIAA in a small group of schizophrenics with a history of successful or serious suicide attempts (Ninan et al. 1984).