Low Intelligence and Poor Executive Function as Vulnerabilities to Externalizing Behavior

Pinsonneault, Michelle; Parent, Sophie; Castellanos‐Ryan, Natalie; Séguin, Jean R.

doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199324675.013.14

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Since cognitive flexibility helps children attend to and incorporate new knowledge, while disregarding outdated knowledge, it allows them to develop more socially acceptable alternatives to dealing with conflict as they mature (Morgan et al, 2019; Romero-López et al, 2018). Children with poor cognitive flexibility are less flexible in using adaptive problem-solving in social situations and, thus, may be more likely to use repetitive maladaptive (e.g., externalizing) means to achieve goals (Pinsonneault et al, 2015; Romero-López et al, 2018). Similarly to the case for internalizing psychopathology, longitudinal studies are needed to examine developmental trajectories of cognitive flexibility to determine if delays in those abilities predict subsequent externalizing psychopathology.…”

Section: Unity and Diversity Of Executive Functionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trajectories of cognitive flexibility through kindergarten and first grade: Implications for externalizing and internalizing behavior problems in the second grade.

Patwardhan,

Gordon,

Mason

2023

Developmental Psychology

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Section: Unity and Diversity Of Executive Functionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trajectories of cognitive flexibility through kindergarten and first grade: Implications for externalizing and internalizing behavior problems in the second grade.

Patwardhan,

Gordon,

Mason

2023

Developmental Psychology

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“…Executive functioning (EF) deficits represent one proposed shared mechanism of externalizing behavior (Beauchaine et al, 2014). For example, a metanalysis of longitudinal studies demonstrated that early executive dysfunction was associated with greater ADHD and CD symptoms and increased substance use in later childhood/adolescence (Yang et al, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Executive Function as an Underlying Mechanism of Alcohol Use, Aggression, and ADHD

Spychala,

Friedman,

Gizer

2024

Preprint

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BackgroundExecutive functioning (EF) has been proposed as a transdiagnostic risk factor for externalizing disorders and behavior more broadly, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), aggression, and alcohol use. Previous research has demonstrated both phenotypic and genetic overlap among these behaviors, but has yet to examine EF as a common causal mechanism. The current study examined reciprocal causal associations between EF and several externalizing behaviors using a Mendelian randomization (MR) approach.MethodsTwo-sample MR was conducted to test causal associations between EF and externalizing behaviors. Summary statistics from several genome-wide association studies (GWASs) were used in these analyses, including GWASs of EF, ADHD diagnostic status, drinks per week, aggressive behavior, and alcohol use disorder (AUD) diagnostic status. Multiple estimation methods were employed to account for horizontal pleiotropy (e.g., inverse variance weighted, MR-PRESSO, MR-MIX).ResultsEF demonstrated significant causal relationships with ADHD (P < 0.01), AUD (P < 0.03), and alcohol consumption (P < 0.01) across several estimation methods. Reciprocally, ADHD showed a significant causal influence on EF (P < 0.03). Nonetheless, caution should be used when interpreting these findings as there was some evidence for horizontal pleiotropy in the effect of EF on ADHD and significant heterogeneity in variant effects in the other relations tested. There were no significant findings for aggression.ConclusionsFindings suggest that EF may be a causal mechanism underlying some externalizing behaviors, including ADHD and alcohol use, and that ADHD may also lead to lower performance on EF tasks.

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“…At-risk youth outside of mainstream educational establishments have difficulty maintaining educational achievements (1) and are at a greater risk of a host of social difficulties (2). Youth who have been classified as "at-risk" demonstrate poorer executive functions, such as planning and monitoring, as compared to a community based control sample (3), and it is this specific element of cognitive functions that is widely related to the externalizing behaviors in children, youth, and adults (4).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perception of Caregiving During Childhood is Related to Later Executive Functions and Antisocial Behavior in At-Risk Boys

et al. 2020

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Executive functions are considered essential for effective navigation in the social world. Parental responsiveness is a critical ingredient for normative social development and, as such, may be connected with the development of executive functions. Disruption of this development may, in turn, lead to maladaptive and antisocial behaviors. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the nature of the connections among perceived patterns of caregiving experienced in childhood, executive functions, and antisocial behaviors in atrisk adolescents. Seventy-one adolescent boys were recruited from two high-schools for adolescents who were not deemed suitable for regular schooling due to behavioral and emotional issues. Executive functions were tested using a computer-administered neuropsychological battery (CANTAB), and maternal parenting experiences and antisocial behaviors were assessed using retrospective and current questionnaires. Structural equation modeling (SEM) approach was employed to examine whether executive functions mediated the relationship between children's perceived patterns of maternal care and subsequent development of antisocial behaviors. Although maternal care had a significant direct effect on executive function (standardized coefficient = .49, p = .03) and antisocial behavior (standardized coefficient = .53, p = .05), SEM demonstrated no mediating relationships among these variables. Instead, maternal care predicted unique variance in both executive functions (standardized coefficient = .61, p = .02) and antisocial behavior (standardized coefficient = .51, p = .05). This study suggests a link between the experience of childhood caregiving and adolescent executive functions and delinquency and highlights the importance of early parenting interventions to aid executive function development. Such early interventions could potentially enhance longterm pro-social behavior.

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Low Intelligence and Poor Executive Function as Vulnerabilities to Externalizing Behavior

Cited by 6 publications

References 0 publications

Trajectories of cognitive flexibility through kindergarten and first grade: Implications for externalizing and internalizing behavior problems in the second grade.

Trajectories of cognitive flexibility through kindergarten and first grade: Implications for externalizing and internalizing behavior problems in the second grade.

Executive Function as an Underlying Mechanism of Alcohol Use, Aggression, and ADHD

Perception of Caregiving During Childhood is Related to Later Executive Functions and Antisocial Behavior in At-Risk Boys

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