A Multi-Domain Model of Risk Factors for ODD Symptoms in a Community Sample of 4-Year-Olds

Abstract

Few studies have been designed to assess the pathways by which risk factors are associated with symptoms of psychopathology across multiple domains, including contextual factors, parental depression, parenting, and child characteristics. The present study examines a cross-sectional model of risk factors for symptoms of Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) in a diverse community sample of 796 four-year-old children. In the best-fitting model: (a) SES had indirect effects on contextual factors of stress and conflict, parental depression, and parenting factors including hostility, support, and scaffolding; (b) stress and conflict had both direct effects on ODD symptoms, and indirect effects via parental depression and parenting; (c) parenting had direct effects on ODD symptoms and indirect effects via child effortful control (EC), negative affect (NA) and sensory regulation (SR); (c) NA, EC, and SR had direct effects on symptom frequency, and attachment had indirect effects via EC, and SR. These results highlight the importance of using a multi-domain model to examine risk factors for symptoms of ODD, and also provide information about areas to target in treatment.

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

“…The current study suggests that levels of negative affect and low effortful control influence the development of oppositional defiant disorder in preschoolers, a result that concurs with previous findings from several authors (Burke et al 2010;Dougherty et al 2011;Eisenberg et al 2009;Lavigne et al 2012;Martel et al 2012;Stringaris et al 2010;Valiente et al 2003). Additionally, we arrived at a number of more nuanced conclusions regarding the influence of parental symptomatology of anxiety, depression and aggressive behavior on children's ODD symptoms.…”

“…While much remains to be learned about the early risk factors for oppositional defiant disorder, the present study suggests that evaluating early temperamental traits in children may be an important first step, since the presence of high levels of negative affect and low levels of effortful control may be an early indicator of children at risk for developing ODD levels. Of particular importance is the fact that low effortful control is related to temperamental symptoms of ODD, as it raises the possibility of early intervention for ODD symptoms through the teaching of effortful control skills, as indicated by Lavigne et al (2012).…”

“…Rothbart et al (2001) proposed a three-part model of temperament, involving surgency (positive emotionality and extraversion), negative affect (high levels of negative emotions) and effortful control (planning and self-regulation of behavior). Evidence suggests that the individual dimensions of temperament proposed in this model may differentially contribute to the risk for ODD in young children (Lavigne et al 2012;Stringaris and Goodman 2009). For instance, studies on preschoolers suggest that children with high levels of negative affect and low levels of effortful control are at risk for temperamental difficulties.…”

“…For instance, studies on preschoolers suggest that children with high levels of negative affect and low levels of effortful control are at risk for temperamental difficulties. In particular, they would have trouble regulating intense emotional reactivity (Stringaris et al 2010), as well as modulating behavior and attention in a flexible and adaptive way (Crawford et al 2011;Nigg 2006), all of which would increase the risk of displaying more externalizing symptoms (Rothbart and Bates 2006), such as ODD symptoms (Lavigne et al 2012) or behavioral problems (Dougherty et al 2011;Eisenberg et al 2009). Researchers have also found associations between high surgency and symptoms of defiance (Lavigne et al 2012;Martel et al 2012;Stringaris et al 2010).…”

Dimensions of Oppositional Defiant Disorder in Young Children: Model Comparisons, Gender and Longitudinal Invariance

“…At the initial home visit, the PPVT was administered, with children scoring<70 excluded from the study. The use of this exclusion criterion was necessary for completion of other study measures not included in the present study but described elsewhere (Lavigne et al 2012). The DISC-YC was administered at this visit as well.…”