Developmental Pathways for Children with Disruptive Behavior Disorders

ii Dedication This research project could not be complete without a dedication to my mother, Janet Hamilton Mahan, who died in August, 1979, of metastatic breast cancer. Her death was not immediate, there was a long period during which she fought hard to survive and her cancer went into remission. In retrospect, it appears that a number of stressful circumstances subsequently entered her life, and she suffered a reoccurrence which ultimately claimed her life. This experience produced in me a deep respect for the impact of individual determination to overcome obstacles, as well as a deep respect for the impact of stress and the importance of handling stressful situations effectively. I regret that my mother died when I was so young. There are so many things that I would like to understand about my early relationship with her that I can only guess about now. I miss her presence in my life. iii Acknowledgment There are a number of acknowledgements which demand to be made. First and foremost, many thanks to my husband Steven, who married me during the course of this dissertation. He not only allowed me the time and space to work on my dissertation, but also provided incredible technical support during the process. I am deeply indebted to his expertise and tolerance during this period of my life. Also, many thanks to the staff at West Jefferson Child and Family Services where I collected the data for this dissertation. The entire staff was extremely supportive and I could not have selected a more accommodating facility to conduct my research. A special acknowledgement needs to be made to Joann Turner, who helped me negotiate the clinic system. Her cheerful willingness to help me and tireless consideration of my needs helped me immensely and made data collection manageable in a busy clinic. I would also like to thank my committee members who have persevered along with me. My dissertation took a considerable amount of time to complete and I appreciate the time and commitment they made in seeing me through this project. I deeply appreciate their consideration and cooperation. My deepest gratitude goes to Paul Frick, who became my advisor midway through the graduate program. I have benefited from his exceptional skills as a researcher and as a mentor. His sound advice helped me through difficult periods and ultimately made this dissertation possible. My regret is that my work …