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

Clin Neuropsychol. 2010;24(5):793-810. doi: 10.1080/13854041003749342.

Abstract

This study examined the differential executive dysfunction of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and those with ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) in Han Chinese. A total of 258 children (89 ADHD, 53 ADHD + ODD, 116 controls) completed performance-based executive function tests and had their everyday life executive skills rated by their parents using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF). Both the ADHD and ADHD + ODD groups performed worse than the controls in the Stroop and Trail-making tests and the BRIEF. The ADHD + ODD group were rated worse than the ADHD group on the BRIEF, but the two groups showed no significant difference in the performance-based tests. These findings suggest Han Chinese children with ADHD display executive dysfunction in performance-based tests and everyday life scenarios, in a similar way to findings in Western counterparts. However, children with ADHD + ODD showed more severe executive dysfunction in everyday life scenarios than those with ADHD only.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Asian People
  • Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / diagnosis
  • Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / epidemiology
  • Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / psychology*
  • Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders / diagnosis
  • Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders / epidemiology
  • Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders / psychology*
  • Child
  • China
  • Comorbidity
  • Cross-Cultural Comparison*
  • Executive Function / physiology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Neuropsychological Tests*
  • White People