Cortisol and Treatment Effect in Children With Disruptive Behavior Disorders : A Preliminary Study

Children who show persistent noncompliant, antiso- cial, and aggressive behavior are diagnosed as having conduct disorder (CD) (DSM-IV) (American Psychi- atric Association, 1994) or oppositional defiant disor- der (ODD). According to DSM-IV (American Psychiatric Association, 1994), both disorders are also called disruptive behavior disorder (DBD). DBD is the predominant juvenile disorder seen in mental health services, accounting for between one third and one half of all clinic referrals {Kazdin, 1995), and children with DBD are at high risk of criminality and antisocial per- sonality disorders in adulthood (Rutter, 1997). Effec- tive methods to treat these children are therefore important. However, some biological factors might af- fect the effectiveness of treatment because there is in- creasing evidence that antisocial behavior is partly genetically determined {Rutter, 1997).