Search

In the present study, we investigated whether the longitudinal growth trajectories of executive functions (EF) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms are related. In addition, we investigated whether negative discipline moderated these longitudinal relations. The sample consisted of predominantly clinically referred preschoolers (N = 248, age 42–66 months at Time 1; 79.0% boys). Assessment occurred three times: at baseline, at 9 months, and at 18 months. EF was assessed with five EF tasks. ADHD symptoms (Child Behavior Checklist 1.5–5) were reported by parents. Groups of medium to high and low negative discipline were based on mother- and father-reports (Parenting Practices Inventory). Growth curve models showed that EF generally increased and ADHD symptoms generally decreased over time. Parallel process models showed that there was no relation between the change in EF and the change in ADHD symptoms over time, suggesting no co-development. However, higher EF at baseline was related to lower ADHD symptoms at baseline. This was irrespective of whether children were exposed to high or low negative discipline. Overall, the results suggest that, while EF and ADHD symptoms are related, they develop independently across the preschool years.

Previous research has shown links between parenting and externalizing behavior problems in young children over time. Associations between inhibitory control, one of the executive functions, and externalizing behavior problems are widely established as well. Yet, the role of inhibitory control in the maintenance and change of externalizing behavior problems over time remains unclear. We examined whether inhibitory control could explain the link between mother-child interactions measured on a moment-to-moment timescale and preschoolers’ externalizing behavior problems as reported by teachers. With a sample of 173 predominantly clinically referred preschoolers (76.9% boys) we tested a longitudinal model proposing that affective dyadic flexibility and maternal negative affect predict as well as interact in predicting hyperactive/impulsive behavior and aggressive behavior, with preschoolers’ inhibitory control as a mediator. Our results provide support for this model for preschoolers’ hyperactive/impulsive behavior, but not for aggressive behavior. Hence, inhibitory control is identified as a mechanism linking the content and structure of mother-child interactions to preschoolers’ hyperactivity and impulsivity over time.

In this longitudinal study, we examined the stability of the association between executive functions and externalizing behavior problems, and the developmental change of executive functions in a predominately clinically diagnosed preschool sample (N = 200). Inhibition and working memory performance were assessed three times in 18 months. Across time, poorer inhibition performance in young children was associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and disruptive behavior disorders (DBD), and poorer working memory performance was associated with ADHD. Inhibition and working memory performance increased over time, especially in the early preschool period. The improvement of inhibition performance was more pronounced in the clinically diagnosed children compared to the TD children. © 2014 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.