Sex differences in oppositional defiant disorder

The goal was to analyze the sex differences in symptoms, comorbidity and functional impairment in outpatient children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD). A sample of 343 children, aged 8 to 17 years and diagnosed with ODD, were assessed with a semi-structured diagnostic interview and dimensional measures of psychopathology and functional impairment. Boys with ODD more frequently displayed the symptoms "deliberately annoys" and "blames others", presented comorbid ADHD, and had greater functional impairment in school and community contexts; girls presented higher comorbidity with internalizing symptomatology (anxiety, depression and somatic complaints). Given that some clinical differences are apparent in ODD between boys and girls, it is necessary to consider the sex of the patient in order to identify and treat this disorder efficiently and effectively in boys and in girls.     

Reciprocal relations between dimensions of Oppositional defiant problems and callous-unemotional traits

Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology - Although irritability, headstrong/defiant behavior, and callous-unemotional traits (CU traits) often co-occur, the prospective associations...     

Parental Psychopathology Levels as a Moderator of Temperament and Oppositional Defiant Disorder Symptoms in Preschoolers

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) is among the most prevalent disorders in preschoolers. It has been linked to temperament, since characteristics such as elevated surgency and negative affect, as well as low levels of effortful control, contribute to the development of this disorder. Evidence also indicates that parental psychopathology can accentuate temperamental traits. Our aim was to assess whether the levels of psychopathology of mothers and fathers acts as a moderator of the relationship between temperament and ODD symptoms in preschoolers, both cross-sectionally at ages 3, 4 and 5, and longitudinally between ages 3 and 5. The sample included 550 children evaluated at ages 3, 4 and 5 through questionnaires and a semi-structured diagnostic interview with parents. Parents also answered a questionnaire about their own psychopathology. The results indicated that negative affect and effortful control are associated with higher levels of ODD symptoms in preschoolers. At child age 5, higher levels of paternal depression and anxiety increased the effect of low effortful control on ODD. High levels of negative affect and low levels of effortful control at age 3 were statistical predictors of ODD levels at age 5, and this relationship was also moderated by paternal anxiety and depression. The results have important clinical implications for the proper orientation of interventions, suggesting that interventions should integrate the paternal caregiver in the treatment.     

Peer Nomination Inventory of Depression: Characteristics in a Spanish sample

The Peer Nomination Inventory of Depression (PNID) was answered by 1,121 children from Barcelona in the fourth year of grammar school and by their teachers (n=36) to analyze this questionnaire in a Spanish sample. The results indicated (1) high internal consistency; (2) discriminative power between depressed and nondepressed; (3) low concurrent validity; (4) convergent and discriminant validity; (5) a two-factor structure; and (6) that two discriminant functions could differentiate between depressed, dysthymic, and nondepressed subjects. The teacher's responses showed (1) moderate internal consistency; (2) discriminative power between depressed and nondepressed groups; (3) moderate concurrent validity; (4) and that two discriminant functions could differentiate between the diagnostic groups. The importance of the information given by the teacher to help detect severe depressive problems was pointed out.     

Trajectories of Oppositional Defiant Disorder Irritability Symptoms in Preschool Children

This study traces the developmental course of irritability symptoms in oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) from ages 3–5 and examines the psychopathological outcomes of the different trajectories at age 6. Method. A sample of 622 3-year-old preschoolers (311 were boys), followed up until age 6, was assessed yearly with a semi-structured diagnostic interview with parents and at age 6 with questionnaires answered by parents, teachers and children. Results. Growth-Mixture-Modeling yielded five trajectories of irritability levels for the whole sample (high-persistent 3.5 %, decreasing 3.8 %, increasing 2.6 %, low-persistent 44.1 % and null 46.0 %). Among the children who presented with ODD during preschool age, three trajectories of irritability symptoms resulted (high-persistent 31.9 %, decreasing 34.9 % and increasing 33.2 %). Null, low-persistent and decreasing irritability courses in the sample as a whole gave very similar discriminative capacity for children’s psychopathological state at age 6, while the increasing and high-persistent categories involved poorer clinical outcomes than the null course. For ODD children, the high-persistent and increasing trajectories of irritability predicted disruptive behavior disorders, comorbidity, high level of functional impairment, internalizing and externalizing problems and low anger control at age 6. Conclusions. Irritability identifies a subset of ODD children at high risk of poorer longitudinal psychopathological and functional outcomes. It might be clinically relevant to identify this subset of ODD children with a high number of irritability symptoms throughout development with a view to preventing comorbid and future adverse longitudinal outcomes.     

Prospective association of parental and child internalizing symptoms: Mediation of parenting practices and irritability

Maternal internalizing symptoms have been linked with child internalizing symptoms, but paternal internalizing difficulties have received little attention. Our aims were to prospectively analyse the simultaneous effect of maternal and paternal internalizing symptoms on child internalizing difficulties, examining gender differences, and to verify the mediating effect of parenting practices and child irritability. The sample included 470 families assessed at child ages 3, 6, 8, and 11. Multi-group structural equation modelling was performed with Mplus8.2. Complete equivalence was found between boys and girls for all paths. Maternal internalizing symptoms at age 3 had an indirect effect on child internalizing symptoms at age 11, via irritability at age 8. Paternal internalizing symptoms at age 3 were not associated with any of the variables under study. Maternal internalizing symptoms and child irritability are targets for intervention in order to prevent child internalizing difficulties.