Abstract
This thesis presents a comparative study that investigates the possibility of a relationship between the diagnosis of conduct disorder (CD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), intermittent explosive disorder (IED), or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (e.g., all of which are categorized as externalizing disorders) and juvenile violent crime. Previous research documents the frequency of externalizing disorders in the juvenile offender population and the behaviors associated with violent crimes (Cashman & Thomas, 2016; Shepherd & Purcell, 2015; Pullmann, 2009; Kim et al., 2017). Currently, there is a lack of research that explores the relationships between specific diagnoses and specific types of crimes in juvenile populations. In this thesis eight case studies are qualitatively analyzed for externalizing behaviors, the severity and frequency of the violence, the type of aggression, and the victim(s). The case studies revealed that defiance and impulsivity are the behaviors seen in the externalizing cases, whereas aggression and irritability are the behaviors seen in the non-externalizing cases.
