To maximise positive childhood outcomes, parents need to be mindful not only of their child’s physical wellbeing but also of mental health. Tanya Ryan-Segger explains.

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Child conduct problems: a red flag to future good health

22 August 2012

To maximise positive childhood outcomes, parents need to be mindful not only of their child’s physical wellbeing but also of mental health. Tanya Ryan-Segger explains.

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Although a child’s physical wellbeing gets the lion’s share of attention, mental health awareness - particularly conduct problems, from a young age, is equally vital.

Through the efforts of professionals like the University of New South Wales’ Professor Mark Dadds, awareness levels are on the rise. However, in a recent paper on the subject of behaviour problems, the psychology scholar urges parents and the community at large to keep an eye out for conduct disorders in children; untreated, they are a major precursor to serious mental disorders in adults.

Below is a recap of some of the key points from the article that was published in the June issue of InPsych – the journal for members and associates of the Australian Psychological Society (APS).

What are conduct problems?
Most parents have days when their children’s behaviour is less than ideal but conduct problems (CPs) are more serious, ongoing and extremely challenging to negotiate. CPs often also hamper a child’s ability to make and keep friends, making everyday social encounters – such as trips to the park or shops, difficult.

Conduct problems (CPs) include a cluster of complaints relating to behaviour, including conduct disorder and oppositional defiant disorder. Conduct disorder is characterised by aggressive, antisocial behaviour of some frequency and severity. Oppositional defiant disorder, which often preludes conduct disorder, involves a pattern of hostility and difficulty with authority.

According to the National Mental Health Report, 2010, these problems are the most prevalent in childhood and adolescence and are more common than many people think. In fact, the 1998 Australian child and adolescent survey found that 14% of children and young people are affected by mental health disorders within any six-month period.

Childhood conduct problems and mental health
Although it’s widely recognised that early conduct problems are predictive of antisocial and substance abuse issues later in life, health professionals and parents often overlook the growing evidence that indicates CPs in children are the most common origin to adult mental health disorders - as well as other conditions association with an adverse affect on physical health.

What can be done to combat CPs?
It’s not all bad news for anyone who may suspect or whose child has been diagnosed with a conduct problem. Positive parenting techniques can turn poor behaviour around if action is taken early and effective intervention measures are used.

International programs that teach parents how to deal with challenging behaviours - such as Triple P Parenting and Parent-Child Interaction Therapy - have been found to make a positive difference to the majority of children suffering from such disorders.

Professor Dadds says that such grass root treatment programs are one of the top recent achievements of mental health science overall. But the biggest stumbling block for CP sufferers remains inaccurate and early diagnosis and a lack of corresponding support and treatment options.

When and where to seek help?
If you think that you child may be suffering from a conduct problem do not hesitate to get in touch with a specialist in the area - such as a child psychologist, who can discuss and evaluate your concern in detail. In the meantime you can find out useful information on the subject, and where to get help, from a number of sources including:

Programs run by the Child Behaviour Research Clinic at the University of NSW - http://www.cbrc.unsw.edu.au/
Triple P parenting programs - http://www1.triplep.net/
The Incredible Years - http://www.incredibleyears.com/
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy - http://pcit.phhp.ufl.edu/

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