Abstract
Inhibitory control deficits are known to be characteristic of Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Conduct Disorder (CD), and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD); but it is unclear whether children with ODD/CD have inhibitory control problems independent of ADHD comorbidity. Previous reviews of inhibitory control and ODD/CD have only focused on one type of measure of inhibitory control or used non-clinical samples. The current meta-analysis explored inhibitory control problems of children with ODD/CD by systematically reviewing studies where children have a diagnosis of ODD and/or CD. Comparisons were made across 25 studies between children with ODD/CD, ODD/CD + ADHD, ADHD, and healthy controls (HC) on various measures of inhibitory control and ADHD symptomatology to explore impacts of ADHD comorbidity. A small significant effect (g = -0.58, p < .001) suggested children with ODD/CD are likely to have more difficulties with inhibitory control than healthy children. However, comparisons between clinical groups suggested this effect may be due to ADHD symptomatology present in each group. As difficulties with inhibitory control are similar, across clinical groups, a dimensional approach to understanding ODD/CD and ADHD may be more useful to consider in future diagnostic criteria. Similarities across clinical groups highlight that therapeutic approaches that assist children with disruptive behaviours could benefit from teaching children and their families how to cope with inhibitory control deficits.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Albrecht, B., Banaschewski, T., Brandeis, D., Heinrich, H., & Rothenberger, A. (2005). Response inhibition deficits in externalizing child psychiatric disorders: An ERP-study with the stop-task. Behavioral and Brain Functions, 1(1), 22–36. https://doi.org/10.1186/1744-9081-1-22
American Psychological Association (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5®): American Psychiatric Publishing.
Anderson, P. J. (2002). Assessment and development of executive function (EF) during childhood. Child Neuropsychology, 8, 71–82. https://doi.org/10.1076/chin.8.2.71.8724
Angold, A., Costello, E. J., & Erkanli, A. (1999). Comorbidity. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 40(1), 57–87. https://doi.org/10.1111/1469-7610.00424
Antonini, T. N., Becker, S. P., Tamm, L., & Epstein, J. N. (2015). Hot and cool executive functions in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and comorbid oppositional defiant disorder. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 21(8), 584–595. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1355617715000752
Baggetta, P., & Alexander, P. A. (2016). Conceptualization and operationalization of executive eunction. Mind, Brain, and Education, 10(1), 10–33. https://doi.org/10.1111/mbe.12100
Bahcivan Saydam, R., Ayvasik, H. B., & Alyanak, B. (2015). Executive functioning in subtypes of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Norosikiyatri Arsivi, 52(4), 386–392. https://doi.org/10.5152/npa.2015.8712
Banaschewski, T., Brandeis, D., Heinrich, H., Albrecht, B., Brunner, E., & Rothenberger, A. (2004). Questioning inhibitory control as the specific deficit of ADHD - Evidence from brain electrical activity. Journal of Neural Transmission, 111(7), 841–864. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-003-0040-8
Best, J. R., & Miller, P. H. (2010). A developmental perspective on executive function. Child Development, 81(6), 1641–1660. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01499.x
Blair, R., Veroude, K., & Buitelaar, J. (2018). Neuro-cognitive system dysfunction and symptom sets: A review of fMRI studies in youth with conduct problems. [Literature Review]. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 91, 69–90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.10.022
Bodnar, L. E., Prahme, M. C., Cutting, L. E., Denckla, M. B., & Mahone, E. M. (2007). Construct validity of parent ratings of inhibitory control. Child Neuropsychology, 13(4), 345–362. https://doi.org/10.1080/09297040600899867
Borenstein, M. (2009). Introduction to meta-analysis (1st ed., Vol. Book, Whole). Chichester, U.K: John Wiley & Sons.
Borkowska, A. R. (2016). The dynamics of attentional and inhibitory functions in the presence of distracting stimuli in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, high-functioning autism and oppositional defiant disorder. Psychiatria i Psychologia Kliniczna, 16(2), 68–80. https://doi.org/10.15557/PiPK.2016.0010
Buchanan-Pascall, S., Gray, K. M., Gordon, M., & Melvin, G. A. (2018). Systematic review and meta-analysis of parent group interventions for primary school children aged 4–12 years with externalising and/or internalising problems. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 49, 244–267. https://doi.org/10.1107/s10578-017-0745-9
Burke, J. D., Pardini, D. A., & Loeber, R. (2008). Reciprocal relationships between parenting behavior and disruptive psychopathology from childhood through adolescence. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 36(5), 679–692. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-008-9219-7
Combs-Ronto, L. A., Olson, S. L., Lunkenheimer, E. S., & Sameroff, A. J. (2009). Interactions between maternal parenting and children’s early disruptive behavior: Bidirectional associations across the transition from preschool to school entry. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 37(8), 1151–1163. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-009-9332-2
Costello, E. J., Mustillo, S., Erkanli, A., Keeler, G., & Angold, A. (2003). Prevalence and development of psychiatric disorders in childhood and adolescence. JAMA Psychiatry, 60(8), 837–844. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.60.8.837
Diamond, A. (2013). Executive Functions. Annual Review of Psychology, 64(1), 135–168. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-113011-143750
Duval, S., & Tweedie, R. (2000). Trim and fill: A simple funnel-plot-based method of testing and adjusting for publication bias in meta-analysis. Biometrics, 56(2), 455–463. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0006-341x.2000.00455.x
Ezpeleta, L., & Granero, R. (2014). Executive functions in preschoolers with ADHD, ODD, and comorbid ADHD-ODD: Evidence from ecological and performance-based measures. Journal of Neuropsychology, 9(2), 258–270. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnp.12049
Frick, P. J., & Nigg, J. T. (2012). Current issues in the diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and conduct disorder. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 8(1), 77–107. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-032511-143150
Friedman, N. P., & Miyake, A. (2004). The relations among inhibition and interference control functions: A latent-variable analysis. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 133(1), 101–135. https://doi.org/10.1037/0096-3445.133.1.101
Glenn, A. L., Remmel, R. J., Ong, M. Y., Lim, N. S. J., Ang, R. P., Threadgill, A. H., et al. (2017). Neurocognitive characteristics of youth with noncomorbid and comorbid forms of conduct disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 77, 60–70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2017.06.005
Greene, R. W. (2014). The explosive child: a new approach for understanding and parenting easily frustrated, chronically inflexible children (Fifth ed., Vol. Book, Whole). New York: Harper.
Gunther, T., Herpertz-Dahlmann, B., Jolles, J., & Konrad, K. (2006). The influence of risperidone on attentional functions in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and co-morbid disruptive behavior disorder. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, 16(6), 725–735. https://doi.org/10.1089/cap.2006.16.725
Hobson, C., Scott, S., & Rubia, K. (2011). Investigation of cool and hot executive function in ODD/CD independently of ADHD. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 52(10), 1035–1043. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2011.02454.x
Hummer, T. A., Kronenberger, W. G., Wang, Y., Dunn, D. W., Mosier, K. M., Kalnin, A. J., et al. (2011). Executive functioning characteristics associated with ADHD comorbidity in adolescents with disruptive behavior disorders. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 39(1), 11–19, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-010-9449-3.
Hwang, S., Nolan, Z. T., White, S. F., Williams, W. C., Sinclair, S., & Blair, R. J. (2016). Dual neurocircuitry dysfunctions in disruptive behavior disorders: Emotional responding and response inhibition. Psychological Medicine, 46(7), 1485–1496. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291716000118
Jiang, W., Li, Y., Du, Y., & Fan, J. (2016). Emotional regulation and executive function deficits in unmedicated Chinese children with oppositional defiant disorder. Psychiatry Investigation, 13(3), 277–287. https://doi.org/10.4306/pi.2016.13.3.277
Lipszyc, J., & Schachar, R. (2010). Inhibitory control and psychopathology: A meta-analysis of studies using the stop signal task. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 16(6), 1064–1076. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1355617710000895
Luman, M., van Noesel, S. J., Papanikolau, A., Van Oostenbruggen-Scheffer, J., Veugelers, D., Sergeant, J. A., et al. (2009). Inhibition, reinforcement sensitivity and temporal information processing in ADHD and ADHD+ODD: Evidence of a separate entity? Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 37(8), 1123–1135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-009-9334-0
Martel, M. M., Roberts, B., & Gremillion, M. L. (2013). Emerging control and disruptive behavior disorders during early childhood. Developmental Neuropsychology, 38(3), 153–166. https://doi.org/10.1080/87565641.2012.758731
Matthys, W., & Lochman, J. E. (2017). Oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder in childhood. United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell.
Matthys, W., Vanderschuren, L. J., & Schutter, D. J. (2013). The neurobiology of oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder: Altered functioning in three mental domains. Development and Psychopathology, 25(1), 193–207. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579412000272
Matthys, W., Vanderschuren, L. J., Schutter, D. J., & Lochman, J. E. (2012). Impaired neurocognitive functions affect social learning processes in oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder: Implications for interventions. Clinical Child Family Psychology Review, 15(3), 234–246. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-012-0118-7
McCart, M. R., Priester, P. E., Davies, W. H., & Azen, R. (2006). Differential effectiveness of behavioral parent-training and cognitive-behavioral therapy for antisocial youth: A meta-analysis. [journal article]. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 34(4), 525–541, doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-006-9031-1.
Miyake, A., & Friedman, N. P. (2012). The nature and organization of individual differences in executive functions: Four general conclusions. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 21(1), 8–14. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721411429458
Miyake, A., Friedman, N. P., Emerson, M. J., Witzki, A. H., Howerter, A., & Wager, T. D. (2000). The unity and diversity of executive functions and their contributions to complex “frontal lobe” tasks: A latent variable analysis. Cognitive Psychology, 41(1), 49–100. https://doi.org/10.1006/cogp.1999.0734
Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., & Altman, D. G. (2009). Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: The PRISMA statement. BMJ, 339(7716), 332–336. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.b2535
Moola, S., Munn, Z., Tufanaru, C., Aromataris, E., Sears, K., Sfetcu, R., et al. (2017). Systematic reviews of etiology and risk. In E. Aromataris, & Z. Munn (Eds.), Joanna Briggs Institute reviewer's manual: The Joanna Briggs Institute.
Nigg, J. T. (2000). On inhibition/disinhibition in developmental psychopathology: Views from cognitive and personality psychology and a working inhibition taxonomy. Psychological Bulletin, 126(2), 220–246. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.126.2.220
Oosterlaan, J., Logan, G. D., & Sergeant, J. A. (1998). Response inhibition in AD/HD, CD, comorbid AD/HD + CD, anxious, and control children: a meta-analysis of studies with the stop task. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 39(3), 411–425. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021963097002072
Packwood, S., Hodgetts, H. M., & Tremblay, S. (2011). A multiperspective approach to the conceptualization of executive functions. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 33(4), 456–470. https://doi.org/10.1080/13803395.2010.533157
Pollastri, A. R., Ablon, J. S., & Hone, M. J. G. (2019). Collaborative Problem Solving: An evidence-based approach to implementation and practice (Vol. Book, Whole). Cham: Springer.
Qian, Y., Shuai, L., Cao, Q., Chan, R. C., & Wang, Y. (2010). Do executive function deficits differentiate between children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and ADHD comorbid with oppositional defiant disorder? A cross-cultural study using performance-based tests and the behavior rating inventory of executive function. Clinical Neuropsychologist, 24(5), 793–810. https://doi.org/10.1080/13854041003749342
Rubia, K. (2011). “Cool” inferior frontostriatal dysfunction in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder versus “hot” ventromedial orbitofrontal-limbic dysfunction in conduct disorder: A review. Biological Psychiatry, 69(12), e69–e87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2010.09.023
Rubia, K., Halari, R., Smith, A. B., Mohammad, M., Scott, S., & Brammer, M. J. (2009). Shared and disorder-specific prefrontal abnormalities in boys with pure attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder compared to boys with pure CD during interference inhibition and attention allocation. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, 50(6), 669–678. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2008.02022.x
Rubia, K., Halari, R., Smith, A. B., Mohammed, M., Scott, S., Giampietro, V., et al. (2008). Dissociated functional brain abnormalities of inhibition in boys with pure conduct disorder and in boys with pure attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 165(7), 889–897. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2008.07071084
Sabry, Y., El-Boraie, H. A., El-Hadidy, M. E., El-Nagar, S., & Khater, M. (2011). Cognitive dysfunction in children presented with behavioral disorders. Middle East Current Psychiatry, 18(3), 177–184. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.XME.0000398871.75584.cf
Schachar, R., Mota, V. L., Logan, G. D., Tannock, R., & Klim, P. (2000). Confirmation of an inhibitory control deficit in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 28(3), 227–235. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1005140103162
Schoemaker, K., Bunte, T., Wiebe, S. A., Espy, K. A., Dekovic, M., & Matthys, W. (2012). Executive function deficits in preschool children with ADHD and DBD. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 53(2), 111–119. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2011.02468.x
Schoemaker, K., Mulder, H., Deković, M., & Matthys, W. (2013). Executive functions in preschool children with externalizing behavior problems: A meta-analysis. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 41(3), 457–471. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-012-9684-x
Senderecka, M., Grabowska, A., Szewczyk, J., Gerc, K., & Chmylak, R. (2012). Response inhibition of children with ADHD in the stop-signal task: An event-related potential study. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 85(1), 93–105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2011.05.007
Shuai, L., Chan, R. C. K., & Wang, Y. (2010). Executive function profile of Chinese boys with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: Different subtypes and comorbidity. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 26(2), 120–132. https://doi.org/10.1093/arclin/acq101
Skogan, A. H., Zeiner, P., Egeland, J., Rohrer-Baumgartner, N., Urnes, A. G., Reichborn-Kjennerud, T., et al. (2014). Inhibition and working memory in young preschool children with symptoms of ADHD and/or oppositional-defiant disorder. Child Neuropsychology, 20(5), 607–624. https://doi.org/10.1080/09297049.2013.838213
Skogan, A. H., Zeiner, P., Egeland, J., Urnes, A. G., Reichborn-Kjennerud, T., & Aase, H. (2015). Parent ratings of executive function in young preschool children with symptoms of attention-deficit/-hyperactivity disorder. Behavioral Brain and Functions, 11(16), doi:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12993-015-0060-1.
Stewart, L. A., & Clarke, M. J. (1995). Practical methodology of meta-analyses (overviews) using updated individual patient data. Cochrane Working Group. Statistics in Medicine, 14(19), 2057–2079. https://doi.org/10.1002/sim.4780141902
Thorell, L., & Wahlstedt, C. (2006). Executive functioning deficits in relation to symptoms of ADHD and/or ODD in preschool children. Infant and Child Development, 15, 503. https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.475
Toplak, M. E., West, R. F., & Stanovich, K. E. (2013). Practitioner review: Do performance-based measures and ratings of executive function assess the same construct? Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 54(2), 131–143. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12001
Tremblay, R. E. (2010). Developmental origins of disruptive behaviour problems: The ‘original sin’ hypothesis, epigenetics and their consequences for prevention. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 51(4), 341–367. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2010.02211.x
van Goozen, S. H., Cohen-Kettenis, P. T., Snoek, H., Matthys, W., Swaab-Barneveld, H., & van Engeland, H. (2004). Executive functioning in children: A comparison of hospitalised ODD and ODD/ADHD children and normal controls. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 45(2), 284–292. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2004.00220.x
Wakschlag, L. S., Perlman, S. B., Blair, R. J., Leibenluft, E., Briggs-Gowan, M. J., & Pine, D. S. (2018). The neurodevelopmental basis of early childhood disruptive behavior: Irritable and callous phenotypes as exemplars. American Journal of Psychiatry, 175(2), 114–130. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2017.17010045
Wiersema, R., van der Meere, J., Roeyers, H., Van Coster, R., & Baeyens, D. (2006). Event rate and event-related potentials in ADHD. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 47(6), 560–567. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2005.01592.x
Woltering, S., Lishak, V., Hodgson, N., Granic, I., & Zelazo, P. D. (2016). Executive function in children with externalizing and comorbid internalizing behavior problems. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 57(1), 30–38. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12428
Wright, L., Lipszyc, J., Dupuis, A., Thayapararajah, S. W., & Schachar, R. (2014). Response inhibition and psychopathology: A meta-analysis of go/no-go task performance. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 123(2), 429–439. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0036295
Xu, M., Jiang, W., Du, Y., Li, Y., & Fan, J. (2017). Executive function features in drug-naive children with oppositional defiant disorder. Shanghai Archives of Psychiatry, 29(4), 228–236. https://doi.org/10.11919/j.issn.1002-0829.216104
Zelazo, P. D., & Carlson, S. M. (2012). Hot and cool executive function in childhood and adolescence: Development and plasticity. Child Development Perspectives, 6(4), 354–360. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1750-8606.2012.00246.x
Zelazo, P. D., Qu, L., & Kesek, A. C. (2010). Hot executive function: Emotion and the development of cognitive control. In S. D. Calkins & M. A. Bell (Eds.), Child development at the intersection of emotion and cognition (1st ed., pp. 97–111). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Zhu, Y., Jiang, X., & Ji, W. (2018). The mechanism of cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical neurocircuitry in response inhibition and emotional responding in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with comorbid disruptive behavior disorder. Neuroscience Bulletin, 34(3), 566–572. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12264-018-0214-x
Acknowledgements
The first author is a recipient of a Griffith University postgraduate research scholarship. The authors would like to thank Dr David Reilly, Dr Sheri Madigan, and Mr Daniel Sullivan for their feedback on the analyses of this paper.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation and data collection were performed by Mikaela Bonham and Olivia Elvin. Analyses were performed and the first draft was written by Mikaela Bonham. All authors provided feedback and approved the final manuscript.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare they have no conflicts of interest.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Electronic Supplementary Material
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bonham, M.D., Shanley, D.C., Waters, A.M. et al. Inhibitory Control Deficits in Children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder Compared to Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol 49, 39–62 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-020-00713-9
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-020-00713-9