Temperament, executive control, and ADHD across development
Item
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Title
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Temperament, executive control, and ADHD across development
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Identifier
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d_2009_2013:0c8341a5a58c:11451
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identifier
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11881
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Creator
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Rabinovitz, Beth B.,
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Contributor
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Jeffrey M. Halperin
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Date
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2012
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Clinical psychology | Developmental psychology | ADHD | Children | Development
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Abstract
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Research examining neuropsychological factors that influence the links between early "difficult" temperaments and later ADHD is limited by a cross-sectional approach and the use of the same informant to assess temperament and psychopathology. In addition, the exact nature of the relationship between temperament, neuropsychological functioning, and ADHD is not clear. This study utilized longitudinal data and objective neuropsychological measures to examine the relationship between temperament, executive control, and ADHD. It was hypothesized that high levels of negative emotionality during the preschool years would be associated with greater ADHD symptom severity in later childhood. However, developing executive control, as measured by tests of working memory and response inhibition, would mediate the relationship between early temperament and later ADHD symptom severity.;Children with and without ADHD were evaluated at three time-points: Parent and teacher ratings of temperament were obtained at ages 3-4, WISC-IV Working Memory Index (WMI) and NEPSY Response Set at age 6, and ADHD symptoms assessed by the Kiddie-SADS at age 7. Pearson correlations examined the relations among parent and teacher ratings of negative emotionality, WMI/Response Set, and ADHD symptom severity at age 7 years. Hierarchical linear regression analyses then examined whether working memory and/or response set mediated the relationship between early temperament and later ADHD symptoms. Nonparametric bootstrapping procedures were utilized to assess the significance of the mediating effects.;All measures were significantly inter-correlated (all p<.05), with the exception of teacher rated negative emotionality and response set. Negative emotionality as rated by parents and teachers significantly predicted ADHD symptoms. Regression coefficients between negative emotionality (parent and teacher) and ADHD severity decreased substantially when controlling for WMI. Similarly, regression coefficients between parent-rated negative emotionality and ADHD severity decreased substantially when controlling for response set.;These findings indicate that early negative emotionality predicts later ADHD severity while development of executive control, as assessed using measures of verbal working memory and response inhibition, mediates this relationship, suggesting that negative emotionality exerts its influence on ADHD severity through its impact on the development of executive control. These findings help support theories that posit that ADHD results from early "bottom-up" dysfunction while persistence of ADHD symptoms reflects poor development of "top-down" control. Early preventative interventions focused on mitigating the harmful influences of negative emotionality or enhancing executive control may help diminish later ADHD severity.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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2009_2013.csv
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Psychology
