Conduct disorder among Asians and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders in the USA

• Published in: Psychological medicine Vol. 38; no. 7; pp. 1013 - 1025
• Main Authors: Sakai, J. T., Risk, N. K., Tanaka, C. A., Price, R. K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.07.2008
• Subjects: Acculturation; Adaptation, Psychological; Adolescent; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Alcohol-Related Disorders - epidemiology; Alcohol-Related Disorders - ethnology; Alcohol-Related Disorders - psychology; Asian Americans - psychology; Asian Americans - statistics & numerical data; Asian Continental Ancestry Group - psychology; Asian Continental Ancestry Group - statistics & numerical data; Behavior; Biological and medical sciences; Boarding houses; Conduct disorder; Conduct Disorder - epidemiology; Conduct Disorder - ethnology; Conduct Disorder - psychology; Conduct disorders; Conduct problems; delinquency; disparities; Family; Female; Field study; Gender differences; Hawaiian people; Humans; Interviews; Male; Medical sciences; Mental Disorders - ethnology; Mental Disorders - psychology; minority; Minority & ethnic groups; Mortality; Oceanic Ancestry Group - psychology; Oceanic Ancestry Group - statistics & numerical data; Odds Ratio; Pacific Islander people; Personality disorders; Prevalence; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Regression Analysis; Research methodology; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; Social behavior disorders. Criminal behavior. Delinquency; Substance-Related Disorders - ethnology; Substance-Related Disorders - psychology; United States - epidemiology; USA; Young people; Pacific Islands Us; United States; Polynesia; America; Hawaii; North America; Oceania; USA; I, Pacific; disparities; delinquency; minority; Conduct problems; Human; Asiatic; Minority; Conduct disorder; Disparity; Social behavior disorder; Epidemiology; Public health; Ethnic group
• ISSN: 0033-2917; 1469-8978
• DOI: 10.1017/S0033291707001316

Conduct disorder (CD) is a relatively common disorder of childhood and adolescence in the USA with substantial associated morbidity, yet little has been published on CD among Asians and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders (NH/PI) in the USA. We used the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) to examine the prevalence and correlates of retrospectively reported CD within Asians and NH/PI (18 years and older). We also completed logistic regressions to explore factors associated with CD within Asians (n=1093) and, separately, NH/PI (n=139) and to explain racial differences in CD prevalence. Asians were about a third as likely [odds ratio (OR) 0.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.22-0.58] whereas NH/PI were about two and half times more likely (OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.31-5.06) to have had CD compared with Caucasian respondents. Within Asians and NH/PI, CD was strongly associated with adult antisocial behavior, substance use and affective disorders. Demographic factors, the age that subjects came to the USA, measures of family environment and family history could not explain the observed differences in prevalence of CD for NH/PI relative to Caucasians. Asian and NH/PI youth with CD represent a subgroup of Asian youth at very high risk for a number of serious psychiatric disorders. Further investigation is needed to explain the high CD prevalence among NH/PI.