Open AccessDifferentiating Symptoms of ADHD in Preschoolers: The Role of Emotion Regulation and Executive Function
Author(s) -
Taylor D. Landis,
Alexis Garcia,
Katie Hart,
Paulo A. Graziano
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of attention disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.076
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1557-1246
pISSN - 1087-0547
DOI - 10.1177/1087054719896858
Subject(s) - psychology , attention deficit hyperactivity disorder , association (psychology) , developmental psychology , clinical psychology , executive functions , cognition , psychiatry , psychotherapist
Objective: This study examined the extent to which individual differences in executive function (EF) and emotion regulation (ER) were uniquely associated with inattention and hyperactivity symptoms of ADHD, respectively. Method: Participants included 249 preschool children with at-risk or clinically elevated levels of externalizing behavior problems (EBPs). Results: Regression analyses were conducted examining the association between EF and ER-as reported by parents/teachers and assessed via child task performance-and hyperactivity and inattention. Even after accounting for IQ, age, sex, and severity of oppositional defiant disorder, greater levels of parent/teacher-reported EF problems and worse EF performance were associated with greater inattention. In addition, better observed ER was associated with lower inattention. Conversely, greater levels of parent/teacher-reported EF problems and worse parent/teacher-reported ER were associated with greater hyperactivity. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that underlying deficits in EF and ER do differentially relate to ADHD symptoms.