title: [Socio-moral reasoning in boys with conduct disorder--the influence of cognitive, educational and psychosocial factors].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study explores whether conduct-disordered children differ from healthy children in reference to their moral development and to what extent cognitive and education factors, respectively psychosocial stress factors mediate the level of socio-moral development.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixteen boys aged nine to fourteen years with an ICD-10 diagnosis of Conduct Disorder were compared to sixteen age-matched healthy controls. The level of socio-moral maturity was assessed by means of the German version of the Sociomoral Reflection Measure (Gibbs et al., 1992).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results show that conduct-disordered boys tended to differ from their healthy counterparts in terms of the level of socio-moral maturity of judgement. According to the theory of Gibbs and co-workers, the moral judgement of healthy children (characterized by a pro-social and mutually moral attitude) is more mature than that of conduct-disordered boys. While the latter remain at an interim level between immature and mature socio-moral reasoning, the former adhere to more rational, exchange-oriented morals. The factors "intelligence" and "maternal support" exercise a decisive influence on socio-moral development.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It should be investigated whether or not the current results can be generalized in a larger sample.
authors: Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie des Kindes- und Jugendalters der Universitätsklinik, Frankfurt/Main. Christina.Stadler@em.uni-frankfurt.de
authors: Christina
authors: C
authors: Stadler
authors: Sonja
authors: S
authors: Rohrmann
authors: Andrea
authors: A
authors: Knopf
authors: Fritz
authors: F
authors: Poustka
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D019955:Conduct Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D008297:Male; D035863:Moral Development; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D010552:Personality Assessment; D011610:Psychosocial Deprivation; D012307:Risk Factors; D012944:Social Support; D012951:Socialization