ABSTRACT
Understanding the causes of aggressive and antisocial behavior in children has long been a major focus of research efforts by clinical child psycholo gists. This focus is understandable given the frequency with which children with conduct disorders (CDs) are referred to mental health clinics (Frick, Lahey, Strauss, & Christ, 1993). In recent years, societal concerns over the dramatic rise in juvenile crime, especially violent crime, has reaffirmed the importance of this research (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 1995). Through this research, it has become clear that children with CD constitute a very heterogeneous group in terms of the types of behaviors they exhibit, the causes of their behavior problems, and their developmental course. The implications of this heterogeneity for causal theory (Richters, 1997) and clinical practice (Frick, 1998) have been well documented. Unfortunately, despite the large amount of research docu menting the heterogeneous nature of CD, there is little consensus as to the most appropriate way to distinguish among children with this disorder.
