The Role of Deviant Peers in Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder

This chapter provides an introduction to the role of deviant peers in the development of conduct problems associated with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder (CD). It then briefly outlines the developmental and ecological context for understanding peer influence processes in adolescence as well as risk factors for deviant peer association. Deviant peer affiliations are among the most reliable risk factors in the development of conduct problems. The chapter then outlines the complex nature of the relationship between deviant peer associations and the development and maintenance of conduct problems. It further outlines a conceptual model of both risk factors for deviant peer affiliations and moderators of the relationship between deviant peers and conduct problems which are detailed in later in the chapter. Three primary categories of risk factors for deviant peer involvement have been identified in the discussed research, including individual, family-based, and broader contextual risk factors.