[Socio-moral reasoning in boys with conduct disorder--the influence of cognitive, educational and psychosocial factors]

Abstract

Objectives: The study explores whether conduct-disordered children differ from healthy children in reference to their moral development and to what extent cognitive and education factors, respectively psychosocial stress factors mediate the level of socio-moral development.

Methods: Sixteen boys aged nine to fourteen years with an ICD-10 diagnosis of Conduct Disorder were compared to sixteen age-matched healthy controls. The level of socio-moral maturity was assessed by means of the German version of the Sociomoral Reflection Measure (Gibbs et al., 1992).

Results: Results show that conduct-disordered boys tended to differ from their healthy counterparts in terms of the level of socio-moral maturity of judgement. According to the theory of Gibbs and co-workers, the moral judgement of healthy children (characterized by a pro-social and mutually moral attitude) is more mature than that of conduct-disordered boys. While the latter remain at an interim level between immature and mature socio-moral reasoning, the former adhere to more rational, exchange-oriented morals. The factors "intelligence" and "maternal support" exercise a decisive influence on socio-moral development.

Conclusions: It should be investigated whether or not the current results can be generalized in a larger sample.