Neuropsychological Predictors of ODD Symptom Dimensions in Young Children

Abstract

Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is a commonly diagnosed childhood behavior disorder, yet knowledge of relations between ODD and early neuropsychological functions, particularly independent of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), is still limited. In addition, studies have not examined neuropsy chological functioning as it relates to the different ODD symptom dimensions. Structural equation modeling was used to investigate how preschool neuropsychological functioning predicted negative affect, oppositional behavior, and antagonistic behavior symptom dimensions of ODD in 224 six-year-old children, oversampled for early behavior problems. Working memory, inhibition, and sustained attention predicted negative affect symptoms of ODD, controlling for ADHD, whereas delay aversion uniquely predicted oppositional behavior, controlling for ADHD. Delay aversion also marginally predicted antagonistic behavior, controlling for ADHD. Results demonstrate that different ODD symptom dimensions may be differentially predicted by different neuropsychological functions. The findings further underscore the importance of future research on ODD to take into account the possible heterogeneity of both symptoms and underlying neuropsychological functioning.

Funding

This research was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (MH60132) awarded to Elizabeth A. Harvey.

Notes

¹ The term ODD/CD indicates that the study combined children with ODD and CD into a broader disruptive behavior group.

² The final model was also run controlling for gender. Results did not change with gender as a control variable, and model fit was worse. This model was therefore not presented as it was not central to the aims of this article.

³ The final model was also run controlling for CD symptoms, to ensure that relations between neuropsychological functions and ODD symptoms were not due solely to overlap with CD. The pattern of results when controlling for CD symptoms did not change, and all paths in the final model remained significant, except the path from working memory to negative affect, which was marginally significant at p = .058, when controlling for CD symptoms.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (MH60132) awarded to Elizabeth A. Harvey.