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The Role of Harsh Discipline in Explaining Sex Differences in Conduct Disorder: a Study of Opposite-Sex Twin Pairs

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Abstract

In the current study, two hypotheses about the role of harsh discipline (HD) in explaining the sex difference in the prevalence of conduct disorder (CD) were evaluated: that boys exhibit more CD than girls because (1) they are exposed to more HD and/or (2) there is a greater association between HD and CD in boys. These hypotheses were evaluated in a sample of male and female adult twins from different families (N = 3,502) as well as a sample of adult twin brothers and sisters (N = 655) in order to examine the extent to which sex differences remained after controlling for between-family differences. Retrospective reports of HD experienced between ages 6–13 and DSM-IV CD symptoms experienced before age 18 were obtained via structured psychiatric telephone interviews. Boys reported higher mean levels of HD and CD than girls, both between and within families, and the results of model-fitting analyses suggested that differences in the use of harsh disciplinary practices for sons versus daughters may partially explain the sex difference in the prevalence of CD. Between families, the relation between HD and CD was greater for girls than boys, but within families, there was no evidence of a sex difference in the relation between HD and CD. Inconsistent between-family and within-family results suggest that factors that differ between families are confounded with sex differences in the relation between HD and CD. A more stringent test of sex differences involves eliminating these between-family differences by studying boys and girls within the same family.

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Abbreviations

HD:

harsh discipline

CD:

conduct disorder

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Acknowledgements

Data collection for this study was funded by National Institutes of Health grant AA010249. Preparation of this article was supported in part by National Institutes of Mental Health Grant F31MH079683. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of Mental Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia, 210 McAlester Hall, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA

    Madeline H. Meier & Wendy S. Slutske

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine and Midwest Alcoholism Research Center, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

    Andrew C. Heath

  3. Genetic Epidemiology Laboratory, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia

    Nicholas G. Martin

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  1. Madeline H. Meier
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  2. Wendy S. Slutske
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  3. Andrew C. Heath
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  4. Nicholas G. Martin
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Correspondence to Madeline H. Meier.

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Meier, M.H., Slutske, W.S., Heath, A.C. et al. The Role of Harsh Discipline in Explaining Sex Differences in Conduct Disorder: a Study of Opposite-Sex Twin Pairs. J Abnorm Child Psychol 37, 653–664 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-009-9309-1

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