Progression From Conduct Disorder to Antisocial Personality Disorder Following Treatment for Adolescent Substance Abuse

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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the progression from conduct disorder to antisocial personality disorder among individuals treated for adolescent substance abuse. This issue is important because of the poor outcomes observed among individuals with antisocial pathology after treatment for alcohol and drug problems. The utility of factors assessed at the time of treatment in predicting progression to adult antisocial personality disorder was evaluated in the context of developmental models of antisocial behavior. METHOD: This was a prospective longitudinal study of 137 substance-abusing adolescents (53 female and 84 male), whose average age was 15.9 years and who met the DSM-III-R criteria for conduct disorder. Consecutively admitted patients were recruited from two adolescent inpatient alcohol and drug treatment facilities. Participants were interviewed again 4 years after treatment. RESULTS: Four years after treatment, 61% of the study group met the DSM-III-R criteria for antisocial personality disorde...