scholarly journals Executive Functions and Emotion Regulation in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Borderline Intellectual Disability

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 986 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Predescu ◽  
Roxana Sipos ◽  
Cristina A. Costescu ◽  
Anamaria Ciocan ◽  
Diana I. Rus

The main objective of this study is to investigate the multiple relations and to determine the differences between executive functions (EFs), emotion regulation, and behavioral and emotional problems in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), borderline intellectual disability (ID), and typical development (TD). The sample included 85 children aged 6 to 11 years, 42 with typical development (TD), 27 with ADHD, and 16 with borderline ID. The results emphasized a positive correlation between adaptive emotion regulation strategies and EFs, and no significant relations between the maladaptive emotion regulation strategies and EFs. In addition, the executive function of planning correlated negatively with anxiety, ADHD symptoms, and conduct problems. The performance of both clinical groups regarding EFs was significantly lower than that of the TD group, and they differed significantly from each other only on visual attention. The presence of oppositional-defiant and conduct problems was higher in both clinical groups than in the TD group, and more anxiety symptoms were reported in children with ADHD. This study supports the idea that emotion regulation, Efs, and clinical symptoms are interconnected. It also profiles the deficits in cognitive functioning and emotion regulation in two clinical groups, thus helping future intervention programs.

2020 ◽  
pp. 003329412091880
Author(s):  
Janelle Welkie ◽  
Dara E. Babinski ◽  
Kristina A. Neely

Many young adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at risk for depression. Yet, questions remain about factors associated with the development of depression in young adults with ADHD. This study examined the effects of sex and emotion regulation difficulties on depression in a sample of young adults with ( n =  172) and without ( n =  730) ADHD. Two aspects of emotion regulation difficulties were examined—impairments in emotional insight (i.e., lack of emotional awareness, nonacceptance of emotion, and lack of emotional clarity) and impairments in behavioral response to emotion (i.e., impulse control difficulties, difficulties engaging in goal-directed behavior, and limited access to emotion regulation strategies). Significant correlations between ADHD and all indices of emotion regulation difficulty emerged. Sex moderated the association between ADHD and lack of emotional awareness, difficulties engaging in goal-directed behavior, and limited access to emotion regulation strategies. Specifically, ADHD was significantly associated with limited emotion regulation awareness for women but not men, while ADHD was associated with greater difficulties engaging in goal-directed behavior and limited access to emotion regulation strategies for women compared to men. These three areas of emotion regulation dysfunction simultaneously mediated the association between ADHD and depression. The findings indicate the importance of considering emotion regulation and sex in understanding depression in young adults with ADHD.


Author(s):  
Blossom Fernandes ◽  
Roseann Tan-Mansukhani ◽  
Cecilia A. Essau

Chapter 6 describes emotion dysregulation features which are associated with children and adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In ADHD adaptive emotion regulation processes are impaired; this negatively impacts the individual’s ability to flexibly select, attend, and appraise emotionally evocative stimuli. This is identified as emotion dysregulation, which occurs when individuals fail to alter emotional states that affect behaviours necessary for achieving one’s goals. This review also examines the relationship between executive functions and emotion dysregulation in ADHD. Successful modulation of emotion occurs as a result of intact executive functions; however, ADHD is characterized by poor executive functions as a result of deficits in the prefrontal cortical networks. Along with describing neural mechanisms associated with ADHD, this review also focuses on the development of emotion dysregulation, clinical implications and current interventions.


Autism ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 136236132110291
Author(s):  
Lauren Kenworthy ◽  
Alyssa Verbalis ◽  
Julia Bascom ◽  
Sharon daVanport ◽  
John F Strang ◽  
...  

Executive functions are related to key outcomes. Studies of autistic youth self-report of other nonsocial traits indicate that their insights into their own functioning and internal experiences provide important information that is not captured by their parents’ report, but youth self-report of executive function has not been researched in autism. We investigate self- and parent-report on the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-2 in 197 autistic youth without intellectual disability, including the magnitude and profile of problems reported across subdomains of executive function. We also compare autistic self-report to that of 114 youth with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and 197 neurotypical youth. We find that autistic youth report significant executive function challenges in comparison to neurotypical youth and a distinctive profile of challenges in comparison to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder youth. Parents and their autistic children diverge regarding the severity of the youth’s executive function difficulties, but both emphasize flexibility problems within their profile of executive function challenges. Intraclass correlation coefficients between parent and youth ratings were moderate to poor in the autistic group, indicating that autistic youth report adds important information beyond that captured by their parents’ report. These data elevate the importance of asking autistic youth directly about their own executive function. Lay abstract Executive functions are often impaired in autistic people and relate to important outcomes such as mental health, success in school and work, and quality of life. Evaluating executive functions helps autistic people, clinicians, and families identify targets for external supports and skill building. Youth self-report of executive function has not been studied, yet we know that self-report from autistic youth is key to understanding other cognitive/behavioral phenomena in autism such as anxiety, obsessions/compulsions, sensory sensitivities, and repetitive behaviors. We investigated self- and parent-report of executive function problems in 197 autistic youth without intellectual disability (ages 11–18 years), including the magnitude and profiles of executive function problems autistic youth report across subdomains of executive function. We compared autistic self-report with that of 114 youth with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder without intellectual disability and 197 neurotypical youth. We found that autistic youth report significant executive function problems compared to neurotypical youth and a distinctive profile of challenges in comparison to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder youth. Parents and their autistic children diverged regarding the magnitude of the youth’s executive function difficulties, but both identify inflexibility as the most impaired executive function subdomain. Autistic youth and their parents were somewhat more concordant in their report of executive function problems than youth with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and their parents, but only showed moderate concordance at best. These findings elevate the importance of asking autistic youth directly about their executive functioning when engaging them in assessment and intervention, or researching executive functions in autism.


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