Immediate Changes in Affect With Chlordiazepoxide

Abstract

THIS REPORT presents the findings with respect to differential changes in affect accompanying the administration of chlordiazepoxide (Librium) as compared to a placebo in a sample of juvenile delinquent boys. The data were obtained in conjunction with a study of elctrodermal activity recorded under basal and mild stress conditions. On the basis of reports in the literature^7,11-13 and our own studies with other psychoactive drugs^4,16 it was hypothesized that anxiety-fear would be reduced following administration of the active drug and that there might also be an accompanying reduction in "hostility outward" as measured by the verbal behavior sampling procedure. Method The subjects in this study were 46 male white adolescents, 14 to 16 years of age, who were incarcerated in a juvenile detention center for asocial or delinquent behavior. The boys were newly admitted inmates, none of whom displayed severe