Emotion Regulation Difficulties in Boys with Oppositional Defiant Disorder/Conduct Disorder and the Relation with Comorbid Autism Traits and Attention Deficit Traits

Abstract

Previous research has pointed towards a link between emotion dysregulation and aggressive behavior in children. Emotion regulation difficulties are not specific for children with persistent aggression problems, i.e. oppositional defiant disorder or conduct disorder (ODD/CD), children with other psychiatric conditions, such as autism spectrum disorders or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, have emotion regulation difficulties too. On a behavioral level some overlap exists between these disorders and comorbidity is high. The aim of this study was therefore twofold: 1) to examine emotion regulation difficulties in 65 boys with ODD/CD in comparison to a non-clinical control group (NC) of 38 boys (8–12 years) using a performance measure (Ultimatum Game), parent report and self-report, and 2) to establish to what extent emotion regulation in the ODD/CD group was correlated with severity of autism and/or attention deficit traits. Results on the Ultimatum Game showed that the ODD/CD group rejected more ambiguous offers than the NC group, which is seen as an indication of poor emotion regulation. Parents also reported that the ODD/CD group experienced more emotion regulation problems in daily life than the NC group. In contrast to these cognitive and behavioral measures, self-reports did not reveal any difference, indicating that boys with ODD/CD do not perceive themselves as having impairments in regulating their emotions. Emotional decision making within the ODD/CD group was not related to variation in autism or attention deficit traits. These results support the idea that emotion dysregulation is an important problem within ODD/CD, yet boys with ODD/CD have reduced awareness of this.

Interventions to Reduce the Problems of Abused Children and Adolescents in Residential Facilities in South Korea: An Integrative Review

“…Therefore, emotional problems should be resolved first to prevent and improve behavioral issues [5][6][7]. This is in accordance with Schoorl et al [26] who reported that ACARF-K who show attention deficit and hyperactivity, delinquency, lack of patience, and lack of responsibility are at high risk of progression into psychiatric disorders such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder or conduct disorder, which indicates the need for interventions for emotional and behavioral regulation in ACARF-K.…”

Social Decision Making in Autistic Adolescents: The Role of Theory of Mind, Executive Functioning and Emotion Regulation

“…The ultimatum game on the other hand, is well suited to examine the roles of multiple factors. However, to our knowledge, the game has only been used in one study with an autistic population (Sally & Hill, 2006), and one further study with a population of children with behaviour disorder, in which autism symptoms were also measured (Schoorl, van Rijn, de Wied, Goozen & Swaab, 2016). Neither of these studies systematically evaluated the effects on social decision making of the three factors of interest here.…”

Boys with Oppositional Defiant Disorder/Conduct Disorder Show Impaired Adaptation During Stress: An Executive Functioning Study

“…Failure to flexibly adapt in complex or changing environments is important for adequate functioning in daily life, and thus may contribute to behavioral problems of those with ODD/CD. This idea is supported by another study in which it was found that boys with ODD/CD made less economic and less adaptive decisions when the situation was ambiguous and emotionally charged [ 56 ]. Emotions are important in guiding behavior adaptively to the environment [ 57 ].…”