title: Verbal deficits and disruptive behavior disorders among children of opiate-dependent parents.
abstract: In order to explore the association between verbal deficits and disruptive behavior disorders among children of addicted parents, 283 6-17-year-old children and their opiate-dependent parents completed diagnostic interviews and standardized measures of vocabulary. Unexpectedly, racial differences in the scores confounded the exploration of the relationship between cognitive scores and disruptive behavior disorders. An interaction between disruptive behavior disorder and race is explored; among Caucasian youths, low verbal scores are associated with disruptive behavior disorders, but this association was not found among African- and Hispanic-American youths. Further analysis and research are needed to understand the clinical significance of relationships between verbal deficits and disruptive behavior disorders within racially diverse groups.
authors.affiliation: Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons,and NY State Psychiatric Institute, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032, USA. jjw109@columbia.edu
authors.forename: Jeffrey J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Edward V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Nuñes
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Greenwald
authors.forename: Myrna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weissman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D019958:Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010290:Parents; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013064:Speech Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*