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Anning KL, Langley K, Hobson C, van Goozen SHM. Cool and hot executive function problems in young children: linking self-regulation processes to emerging clinical symptoms. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2024; 33:2705-2718. [PMID: 38183461 PMCID: PMC11272683 DOI: 10.1007/s00787-023-02344-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/08/2024]
Abstract
Self-regulation (SR) difficulties are implicated in a wide range of disorders which develop in childhood, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiance disorder (ODD), anxiety and depression. However, the integration of the existing research evidence is challenging because of varying terminology and the wide range of tasks used, as well as the heterogeneity and comorbidity within and across diagnostic categories. The current study used the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework to guide the examination of different SR processes in young children showing a wide range of symptomatology. Children (aged 4-8) referred by teachers for moderate-to-high conduct, hyperactivity and/or emotional problems at school (assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) subscales; n = 212), and children in SDQ typical ranges (n = 30) completed computerised cognitive control and decision-making tasks. Parents completed questionnaires to assess ADHD, ODD, anxiety and depression symptoms (n = 191). Compared to children with no teacher-reported difficulties, those with moderate-to-high problems showed poorer visuomotor control and decision-making. A factor analysis revealed that task variables adhered to RDoC dimensions and predicted variance in specific disorders: difficulties in cognitive control predicted ADHD symptoms, low reward-seeking was associated with depression and high reward-seeking was associated with ODD. This study highlights how the assessment of cognitive processes positioned within the RDoC framework can inform our understanding of disorder-specific and transdiagnostic difficulties in SR which are associated with diverse clinical symptoms in children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate L Anning
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
| | - Kate Langley
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
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Adams SW, Layne CM, Contractor AA, Allwood MA, Armour C, Inslicht SS, Maguen S. The Middle-Out Approach to reconceptualizing, assessing, and analyzing traumatic stress reactions. J Trauma Stress 2024; 37:433-447. [PMID: 38049964 DOI: 10.1002/jts.23005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023]
Abstract
Alternative models of traumatic stress and broader psychopathology have been proposed to address issues of heterogeneity, comorbidity, clinical utility, and equitable representation. However, systematic and practical methods and guidelines to organize and apply these models remain scarce. The Middle-Out Approach is a novel, integrative, contextually informed framework for organizing and applying existing empirical methods to evaluate current and alternative traumatic stress reactions. Rather than beginning to identify traumatic stress reactions from the top-down (i.e., disorder-first approach) or bottom-up (i.e., symptom-first approach), constructs are evaluated from the middle out (i.e., presentation-first approach), unconstrained by higher-order disorders or lower-order diagnostic symptoms. This approach provides innovation over previous methods at multiple levels, including the conceptualization of traumatic stress reactions as well as the type of assessments and data sources used and how they are used in statistical analyses. Conceptualizations prioritize the identification of middle-order phenotypes, representing person-centered clinical presentations, which are informed by the integration of multidimensional, transdiagnostic, and multimodal (e.g., psychosocial, physiological) assessments and/or data sources. Integrated data are then analyzed concurrently using person-centered statistical models to identify precise, discrete, and representative health outcomes within broader heterogeneous samples. Subsequent variable-centered analyses are then used to identify culturally sensitive and contextually informed correlates of phenotypes, their clinical utility, and the differential composition within and between broader traumatic stress reactions. Examples from the moral injury literature are used to illustrate practical applications that may increase clinical utility and the accurate representation of health outcomes for diverse individuals and communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shane W Adams
- Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), VA San Francisco Health Care System, San Francisco, California, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Christopher M Layne
- College of Psychology, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA
| | | | - Maureen A Allwood
- Department of Psychology, John Jay College of Criminal Justice-City University of New York, New York, New York, USA
| | - Chérie Armour
- School of Psychology, Queens University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Sabra S Inslicht
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- Mental Health Service, VA San Francisco Health Care System, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Shira Maguen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- Mental Health Service, VA San Francisco Health Care System, San Francisco, California, USA
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