Child and Adolescent Behaviorally Based Disorders: A Critical Review of Reliability and Validity

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Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the historical construction and empirical support of two child andadolescent behaviorally based mental health disorders: oppositional defiant and conduct disorders. Method: The study utilized ahistoriography methodology to review, from 1880 to 2012, these disorders' inclusion in psychiatric nosology systems, relatedhistorical and medical system material, and published empirical literature. Results: Analysis found limited reliability support andalmost no construct or criterion validity support for either early dynamic classification diagnoses or today's Diagnostic andStatistical Manual of Mental Disorder's (DSM's) descriptive symptomology categories. Conclusion: This is cause for concern becauseof the high diagnostic prevalence rates for these child and adolescent disorders, diagnostic-driven practice within the field, and theinordinate influence of the DSM on the clinical social work profession. © The Author(s) 2012.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)96-113
Number of pages18
JournalResearch on Social Work Practice
Volume24
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2014

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

  1. SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
    SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

Keywords

  • adolescent
  • conduct disorder
  • history
  • mental health
  • oppositional defiant disorder
  • psychiatry
  • validity

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