title: Personality characteristics of a community sample of adolescents with conduct disorders.
abstract: The Millon Adolescent Personality Inventory (MAPI) was used to compare the personality styles, expressed concerns, and behavioral correlates of a community sample of conduct-disordered (n = 13) and non-conduct-disordered (n = 137) adolescents. Structured interviews with adolescents and parents were used to classify subjects using DSM-III criteria. Significant differences were found between groups. Conduct-disordered youth reported being very critical, harsh, and not respectful of others. They tended to seek out the unpredictable and to be moody and pessimistic. They expressed a lack of confidence in school performance and dissatisfaction with family life. These results support the usefulness of self-report measurements with troubled adolescents in general, and the validity of the MAPI in particular. Implications for diagnosis and treatment are discussed.
authors.affiliation: University of Missouri-Columbia, Department of Psychiatry.
authors.forename: W R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Holcomb
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kashani
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D010553:Personality Development; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics; D012920:Social Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D012931:Social Environment