Final answer:
D. Aggression towards animals
The nurse should expect a child with conduct disorder to potentially show aggression towards animals. This condition is characterized by behavior that violates social norms and the rights of others. Remorse, depression, or intellectual deficits are not defining features of this disorder.
Step-by-step explanation:
A nurse assessing a school-age child who has conduct disorder should expect the child to demonstrate aggression towards animals. Conduct disorder is a mental health condition characterized by a pattern of behavior that violates the rights of others and societal norms. Children with conduct disorder often display behaviors such as bullying, lying, theft, and deliberate destruction of property. One of the key signs is aggression, which can be directed towards people or animals.
Feeling of remorse, extended periods of depression, and deficits in intellectual functioning are not typically seen as defining features of conduct disorder. Although affected individuals may exhibit a range of behaviors and comorbid conditions, these are not as central to the diagnosis as aggressive conduct.