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Biomedical subjects

P W Harden

Publications and source records attributed to P W Harden.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

Executive functions and physical aggression after controlling for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, general memory, and IQ.

This study examined the role of ADHD in the association between physical aggression and two types of executive functions. Boys received a cognitive-neuropsychological test battery over the ages of 13, 14, and 15 years. Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC 2.25) data were collected from the boys and one parent between ages 14 and 16, and an IQ estimate was obtained at age 15. Three groups, differing in stability and level of physical aggression since kindergarten, were formed: Stable Aggressive, Unstable Aggressive, and Non-aggressive. Composite scores of validated executive function tests of working memory representing subjective ordering and conditional association learning were formed. A MANCOVA (N = 149) using ADHD status, teacher-rated negative emotionality, general memory abilities, and IQ as covariates was performed on the two composite scores. ADHD and teacher-rated emotionality did not provide significant adjustment to the dependent variables. Number of ADHD symptoms was negatively associated only with general memory and IQ. General memory contributed significantly to adjusting for conditional association test scores. Group differences indicated lower conditional association scores for Unstable Aggressive boys relative to the other groups. Both IQ and general memory abilities interacted with subjective ordering within the groups. Specifically, Stable Aggressive boys performed poorly on this measure and did not benefit from increases in IQ whereas Nonaggressive boys performed best and were not disadvantaged by lower general memory abilities. This suggests a relationship exists between aspects of working memory and a history of physical aggression regardless of ADHD and IQ.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Disruptive behavior disorders.

Disruptive behavior disorders present grave complications to normal childhood development. Their presence is frequently associated with additional psychiatric disorders. The hallmark features of the disruptive behavior disorders range from noncompliance to aggressive hostility toward authorities or peers. Oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder are associated with dysfunctional parenting styles and other environmental risks. Temperament and psychobiological mechanisms also play roles in the expression of disruptive behavior. Longitudinal research is providing a means to disentangle etiologic from mediating factors. The origins of developmental pathways to adult maladjustment are apparent in preschool behavior. Unfortunately, nearly all of our assumptions about behavior problems have been based on the study of boys. While many social outcomes for disruptive girls and boys are similar, pregnancy and parenting present a distinct challenge to the adolescent mother, to her children, and to society at large.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Pain sensitivity and stability of physical aggression in boys.

It is unclear whether stably aggressive boys would be characterized by high or low pain sensitivity. Adolescent boys in whom physical aggression, executive functioning, anxiety, and family adversity had been assessed longitudinally formed three groups who differed in stability of physical aggression: stable, unstable, and non-aggressive. Stable aggressives were the least pain sensitive, whereas unstable aggressives were the most pain sensitive. While at low levels of executive functioning pain sensitivity could not be distinguished between the aggressive groups, at high levels unstable aggressives reported even more pain, whereas stable aggressives reported even less pain. Variations in anxiety were associated strongly with pain sensitivity in unstable aggressives. High pain ratings were found in boys who had a moderate level of family adversity, and low pain ratings in boys with low or high adversity. The differences in pain sensitivity between the groups may be motivationally important to the frequency and type of aggression.

Aggression↗
PubMed1995

Cognitive function, cardiovascular reactivity, and behavior in boys at high risk for alcoholism.

Boys (average age = 12.1 years) from families with an extensive history of paternal alcoholism differed from controls of similar age and IQ on measures of cognitive function, cardiovascular reactivity, and parent-rated conduct problems. High-risk boys performed most poorly on neuropsychological tests of frontal lobe function. According to tests of temporal organization and conditional-associate learning, control over working memory was the frontal subfunction primarily affected. A mental arithmetic task also elicited greater heart rate increases and peripheral vasoconstriction among high-risk boys than among controls. After controlling for group status, significant correlations remained between frontal lobe test scores and disruptive behavior and between cardiovascular hyperreactivity and anxiety levels. The possible contribution of these findings to alcohol abuse was discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Cognitive and neuropsychological characteristics of physically aggressive boys.

Cognitive-neuropsychological tests were given to adolescent boys (N = 177) to investigate processes associated with physical aggression. Factor analysis yielded 4 factors representing verbal learning, incidental spatial learning, tactile-lateral ability, and executive functions. Physical aggression was assessed at ages 6, 10, 11, and 12, and 3 groups were created: stable aggressive, unstable aggressive, and nonaggressive. The authors found main effects for only the executive functions factor even when other factors were used as additional covariates in a step-down analysis; nonaggressive boys performed better than stable and unstable aggressive boys. The covariates family adversity and anxiety were both related only to the verbal learning factor. This study highlights the importance of deficits in executive function in the expression of physical aggression relative to other cognitive-neuropsychological functions.

Aggression↗