Emotional dysregulation is of great cause for concern because it is associated with severe outcomes. Currently, the identification of youths with signs of emotional and behavioral dysregulation is obtained through the assessment of a Dysregulation Profile (DP), including the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire-DP (SDQ-DP). Despite its increasingly frequent use in research, studies exploring the SDQ-DP properties are still limited, and no study with Italian samples is currently available. The current study aimed to explore the psychometric properties of the SDQ-DP parent-report and its association with difficulties in the school context in a sample of 332 Italian early adolescents. Results showed that the SDQ-DP parent-report is a single-factor measure with good internal consistency. Also, in both males and females, the SDQ-DP parent-report was associated with higher teacher-reported Internalizing (e.g., anxious symptoms) and Externalizing Problems (e.g., hyperactivity, conduct problems) and lower Prosocial Behavior. This study added further evidence about the utility of the SDQ-DP in the assessment, prevention, and treatment of emotional dysregulation.

Knowing and diagnosing carefully a Disruptive Behavior Disorder, analyzing the clinic consistency of the subtypes DC and CU as well as the etiological, neurocognitive and neurobiological specificities, will allow the clinician to perform a much more precocious diagnosis. The comprension of the factors that are associated with aggressiveness and disruptive behaviors contributed to the development of interventions in order to prevent and reduce the impact of these disorders, which can evolve into juvenile delinquency or antisocial personality disorders, if not treated. This article, after an exposition of the new DBD criteria in the DSM V and an analysis of the risk factors for aggressive children, will outline the researches on this topic, and will describe the intervention protocol named Coping Power Program (CPP), as well as listing some researches, including the italian ones, that confirmed the effectiveness of this protocol.