An exploration of differences in the physiological reactivity of clinical and non-clinical adolescents

Date

1999-08

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Abstract

This study evaluated a model which examined physical differences in the physiological reactivity (skin conductance level (SCL)) of 11–15 year old adolescent males in a clinical group (those with a diagnosis of oppositional defiant or conduct disorder) and a nonclinical group (those who have no history of legal referral, behavioral problems, or prior counseling, and are passing all of their classes at their school). The study also examined differences in the family systems between the two groups as measured by the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist, the Brief Symptom Inventory, the Global Family Functioning Scale of the Family Assessment Device, the Conflict Tactics Scale, the Nowicki Strickland Locus of Control Scale, and the mother's and the adolescent's SCL. The model examined whether adolescents in the clinical group were more physiologically reactive than their nonclinical counterparts, differences between the two groups in physiological recovery time after exposure to exciting or stressful stimuli, and the interaction between selected family variables and physiological reactivity. The research on the physiological reactivity of adolescents who are experiencing clinically significant problems has provided mixed results. However, the studies to date have not examined family systems variables. This study provided more information about the relationship between physiological reactivity in adolescents and the presence of clinically significant problems, and filled a gap in the existing literature by examining the relationship of family systems variables and adolescent physiological reactivity.

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Keywords

Clinical psychology, Families & family life, Individual & family studies, Personal relationships, Psychobiology, Psychotherapy, Social psychology, Sociology

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