Temporal Discounting Impulsivity and Its Association with Conduct Disorder and Irritability

Abstract

Objectives: Temporal reward discounting impulsivity (TDI) reflects a propensity to choose smaller immediate rather than larger delayed rewards relative to age/IQ-matched peers. Previous work with adults has linked TDI to an increased risk for antisocial behavior but also psychopathology in general. However, little work has examined TDI in adolescents with conduct disorder (CD), or considered whether TDI might be associated dimensionally with traits associated with antisocial behavior, that is, impulsivity, irritability, and/or callous-unemotional traits. In this study TDI was investigated in a large adolescent group with varying levels of antisocial behavior. Methods: Participants consisted of 195 adolescents (67 with CD, 77 in a psychiatric comparison group and 51 typically developing adolescents). Participants performed a temporal discounting task and individual differences were measured through the Connors rating scale for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (impulsivity), Affective Reactivity Index (irritability), and Inventory of Callous-Unemotional traits. Results: The adolescents with CD and those in the psychiatric comparison group showed significantly greater TDI than typically developing adolescents. However, these group differences were abolished when dimensional covariates were included. Irritability was significantly associated with TDI. Conclusions: We conclude that TDI reflects a transdiagnostic form of dysfunction that particularly manifests in adolescents with increased irritability.

A cross-sectional analysis of the relationships between anxiety sensitivity and youth irritability: the mediated roles of insomnia and selective attention for threat

“…Furthermore, individual traits (e.g., executive function) may buffer irritability-related reward processing deficits [ 61 ]. In a sample of adolescents with conduct disorder, one recent study also found that irritability was significantly associated with temporal reward discounting impulsivity [ 27 ] using one computer-based delayed discounting task, which is similar to the MCQ scale in this study. Differences in types of reward processing, samples, and measurements may explain the negative findings in this study.…”

“…Children and adolescents with irritability show significant deficits in learning to reward in the face of unexpected events and a heightened sensitivity to the receipt of rewards and tend to be inclined towards more timely rewards [ 25 , 26 ]. Irritable youth have a propensity to choose smaller immediate rather than larger delayed rewards [ 27 ]. In turn, delayed reward discounting reflects a form of dysfunction seen across externalizing and internalizing psychiatric conditions that may increases risks for irritability [ 27 ].…”

“…Irritable youth have a propensity to choose smaller immediate rather than larger delayed rewards [ 27 ]. In turn, delayed reward discounting reflects a form of dysfunction seen across externalizing and internalizing psychiatric conditions that may increases risks for irritability [ 27 ]. Rewards and threats are not independent of each other and in the context of threats, the processing of rewards also changes, including increased expressions of anger at frustration [ 2 ].…”

“I Feel Therefore I Decide”: Effect of Negative Emotions on Temporal Discounting and Probability Discounting

“…Right after the emotional script administration, participants were asked to complete a probability discounting task (PD). During the task participants were asked to choose between an immediate certain amount of money (i.e., GBP 10) and an uncertain amount; this latter was parametrically varied across seven amounts (i.e., GBP 18,30,36,48,54,66,and 72) and six probabilities (i.e., 10, 25, 40, 50, 70 and 90%), thus obtaining 42 different choice pairs. Each choice pair was repeated 4 times; thus, the task included a total amount of 168 trials, which were randomly distributed across the experimental block.…”

“…Specifically, one study has investigated the interaction between state and trait anger, showing that people low on trait anger preferred large delayed rewards over smaller-immediate ones when in an angry mood, while people with high trait anger, when in an angry mood, showed an inverse preference (i.e., preferring small-immediate reward over a large delayed one; [ 52 , 53 ]). Another study, conducted on adolescents with conduct disorder showed a significant relationship between irritability and an increased preference toward immediate rewards [ 54 ].…”