ABSTRACT
Disruptive behaviors are an often widespread issue across settings, including home and school. Oppositional, aggressive, antisocial, and delinquent behaviors all represent categories of disruptive behaviors. Some forms of these, such as disobedience, arise at various points in time with many children as part of a typical developmental process. In defining what constitutes a disruptive behavior problem in children, it is important to include discussion of the two most frequently associated disorders: oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder. There is much to learn about the factors contributing to disruptive behavior problems in children. A great deal of research has been dedicated to this topic; however, there remains a strong need to separate factors that actually cause these problems from those merely associated with them. One of best sources regarding the impact of childhood trauma on mental health, including disruptive behavior problems, comes from a long-term US research study known as the Adverse Childhood Experiences study.
