Emotional and autonomic reactivity in children with externalizing disorders

Abstract

The present work investigates emotional response style in boys with different forms of externalizing disorders. In view of what is known about disturbed emotionality in adult offenders with antisocial personality disorder, the study examined the extent to which children who are at increased risk of later delinquency because of an externalizing disorder already show physiological responses to emotional stimuli that deviate from the norm.