Resumo

REY-ANACONA, César Armando; PAITAN-AVILA, Lizzet Cristina  e  MONGUI-MERCHAN, Zulma Lorena. Neuropsychological, biographic, psychological, familiar, and communities differences between female and male adolescents with and without conduct disorder. Interdisciplinaria [online]. 2014, vol.31, n.2, pp.275-295. ISSN 1668-7027.

Gender differences in risk behaviors for health, risk factors and symptoms of conduct disorder (CD) have not been sufficiently investigated, although knowledge of these differences help define more effective strategies for assessment, prevention and treatment. The aim of this study was to compare a group of male and female adolescents who met the diagnostic criteria of CD, among themselves and with respect to a group of male and female adolescents without CD, on a set of neuropsychological, biographical, psychological / behavioral, family and community variables identified in the specialized literature. Also, the general and specific frequency of antisocial behavior was compared between participants with CD. All participants were between 11 and 18 years old, with a mean of 16 years, and living in low socioeconomic neighborhoods. Adolescents with CD, 60 males and 11 females, were selected in three re-educational institutions of probation, while adolescents without CD, 74 males and 25 females, were selected in a job training center for low-income teenagers. The two groups did not differ significantly in age, sex and socioeconomic status. The instruments used were: Color-word Test (Golden, 1994), Neuropsychological Assessment of Children (Matute, Rosselli, Ardila, & Ostrosky-Solís, 2007), Self-Report Questionnaire of Partner Violence Incidents (Rey-Anacona, 2008), Spanish Version of Dyadic Adjustment Scale (Echeburúa & de Corral, 1998), Depression Inventory (Beck, Rush, Shaw, & Emery, 1983), Masculinity and Femininity Inven tory (Lara, 1993), Scale of Empathy (Martorell, González& Calvo, 1998), Eysenck Personality Inventory (Eysenck, H. J. & Eysenck, S. G. B., 1984), Questionnaire of Child and Adolescent Self-Control (Capafons & Silva, 2001), Brief Questionnaire for Diagnosing Attention Deficit (Pineda et al., 1999) and two questionnaires developed in the research, reviewed by judges on methodology and content. An observational, descriptive, comparative, cross-sectional design was used, involving both adolescents and their mothers, implemented the following statistical tests: (a) t-test for two independent samples and effect size (Cohen's d) for interval and ratio variables, (b) Mann Whitney Ufor ordinal variables, and (c) Ji Square and Odds Ratio for nominal variables. Women with CD reported severe physical punishment more frequently than men with CD, although at an older age, and they showed higher scores on Neuroticism, and lower on Personal Feedback, as well as a higher frequency of antisocial behaviors, both aggressive and covert, and difficulties at work as a result of such conducts. Comparisons by sex revealed both men and women with CD, compared to adolescents without CD, had higher scores on Extraversion, and increased consumption of psychoactive substances, school changes and expulsions, runaways, suicidal thoughts and younger of marijuana. However, women with CD showed higher scores on Machismo, and minor in Empathy, Personal Feedback, and Phonemic Fluency than women without CD, while the mothers of men with CD reported most frequently gangs in their place of residence. These results suggest that women with CD may have a higher frequency of antisocial behaviors and antisocial profiles similar or more severe than male adolescents with CD, and both males and females have a high frequency of conditions and behaviors that undermine their physical and mental health, which may worsen prognosis, aspects that should be considered in the evaluation and treatment. They also suggest that greater importance should be provided to treatment alternatives that minimize the effect of multiple risk behaviors for physical and mental health that demonstrate these adolescents.

Palavras-chave : Conduct disorder; Teenagers; Sex differences; Risk factors; Antisocial behavior.

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