CHILDHOOD ANTECEDENTS OF ADOLESCENT PERSONALITY-DISORDERS

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the childhood antecedents of personality disorders that are diagnosed in adolescence . Method: A randomly selected community sample of 641 youths was asses sed initially in childhood and followed longitudinally over 10 years. Childhood behavior ratings were based on maternal report; diagnoses of adolescent personality disorders were based on data obtained from bot h maternal and youth informants. Four composite measures of childhood behavior problems were used: conduct problems, depressive symptoms, an xiety/fear, and immaturity. Adolescent personality disorders were cons idered present only if the disorders persisted over a 2-year period. F or all analyses, personality disorders were grouped into the three clu sters (A, B, and C) of DSM-III-R. Results: Logistic regression analyse s indicated that all four of the putative childhood antecedents were a ssociated with greater odds of an adolescent personality disorder 10 y ears later. Childhood conduct problems remained an independent predict or of personality disorders in all three clusters, even when other chi ldhood problems were included in the same regression model Additionall y, depressive symptoms emerged as an independent predictor of cluster A personality disorders in boys, while immaturity was an independent p redictor of cluster B personality disorders in girls. No moderating ef fects of age at time of childhood assessment were found. Conclusions: These results support the view that personality disorders can be trace d to childhood emotional and behavioral disturbances and suggest that these problems have both general and specific relationships to adolesc ent personality functioning.