ABSTRACT
This chapter provides the dispositional and environmental risk factors that have been associated with childhood conduct problems. Paul J. Frick and Morris proposed that emotional reactivity can have direct effects on the child's propensity to display conduct problems and aggressive behaviour. Thus, a temperamental pattern characterised by high rates of anger, hostility and frustration is an important childhood risk factor for conduct problems and could explain many of the cognitive and social risk factors to conduct problems identified in past research. However, two profiles proposed in the adaptive calibration model (ACM) namely Vigilant and Unemotional correspond very closely to the two developmental pathways to severe conduct problems. Although the Vigilant pattern is dominated by a highly responsive sympathetic nervous system, the Hypothalamic Pituitary Axis (HPA) is also highly reactive in this pattern. Finally, the chapter summarises the implications of the developmental model for the diagnosis and treatment of children with serious conduct problems.
