Commentary

Optimism for the future of research on disruptive behaviors – an appreciation of good science as illustrated by Nobakht, Steinsbekk & Wichstrom (2023)

Bibliographic Data

ID21344148
AuthorsJeffrey D Burke (0000-0002-1763-3133, Department of Psychological Sciences University of Connecticut Storrs CT USA, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume65
Issue11
Pages1543-1545
Publication date2024-11-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0021-9630 • E-ISSN: 1469-7610
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/jcpp.14041
PMID38965661
OpenAlexW4400371462
LanguageEN
References cited13

This paper by Nobakht, Steinsbekk & Wichstrom (2023) is a model of good science in the study of oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder. Their approach illustrates a thoughtful research design, statistical modeling sufficient to empirically evaluate developmental processes, and a full consideration of the theoretical implications of their work. This contrasts with a broad history of research on ODD and CD that far too often has only reified biased assumptions about these phenomena rather than rigorously scrutinizing them. Their demonstration of a unidirectional developmental flow of influence from ODD to interparental aggression, and thence to CD highlights a set of complicated developmental processes involving these disorders and their environment. It expands on evidence of the toll that ODD exerts on parents and provides guidance for more specific intervention. Standards in developmental psychopathology research should include testing bidirectional processes and employing designs that could falsify rather than reify existing beliefs. Examining key mechanisms in such processes will more rapidly generate improvements in assessment and treatment

Aggression · Conduct disorder · Developmental psychology · Developmental psychopathology · Intervention (counseling) · Optimism · Psychiatry · Psychopathology · Psychotherapist · Set (abstract data type) · Autism Spectrum Disorder Research · Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Clinical Psychology · Psychology

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