CD presents a significant threat to population and public health globally due to the large number of young people affected and the poor long-term prognosis for behavior and health. Yet relatively little is known about longer-term public service usage among individuals with distinct patterns of conduct problem symptoms. Public sector costs of supporting individuals with childhood conduct problems have been previously estimated by prospectively following children referred to a clinic or otherwise screened as at-risk for conduct problems (Romeo, Knapp, & Scott, 2006; Scott, Knapp, Henderson, & Maughan, 2001). For example, among 142 clinically referred 10-year old children in London, cumulative public expenditures by age 28 were 10 times higher among those with versus without a CD diagnosis and 3.5 times higher among those with a CD diagnosis versus those with subclinical symptoms (Scott et al., 2001). Similarly, among kindergarten children identified as high-risk for behavioral problems in the United States, those with (N = 59) versus without a CD diagnosis were estimated to consume nearly $70,000 (in year-2000 USD) more per child in public services across adolescence (Foster &
