title: Stability and change in externalising behaviours.
abstract: This paper provides an overview of a series of issues relating to continuity and discontinuity in externalising disorders including conduct disorder, attention deficit disorder and substance use disorders in childhood and adolescence. These issues include: (a) the assessment of stability and change; (b) the origins of behavioural stability; (c) the origins of behavioural change; and (d) the preventive and clinical implications of research into behavioural stability and change. It is concluded that future research into this area should involve: (a) further research into the genetic factors underlying externalising disorders; (b) continued research into the developmental progressions; (c) refinement and revision of measurement methodologies; and (d) greater use of designed experimentation to examine the extent to which externalising behaviours are amenable to change through both public health and clinical interventions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine, Christchurch School of Medicine, Christchurch, New Zealand.
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Fergusson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D012307:Risk Factors; D012922:Social Change; D012924:Social Conditions; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors