Emotional and behavioral dysregulation in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Abstract

To study disorders of emotional regulation in different types of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. 58 children suffering from ADHD, aged 12 to 15 years were divided into 2 subgroups (38 children with a combined form of ADHD and 20 children with ADHD with a predominance of inattention). The control group consisted of 30 children without manifestations of neuropsychiatric disorders. The following research methods were used in the work: the SNAP-IY scale to assess the severity of the disease; the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SCT), a form for parents to assess emotional and behavioral impairments; Spielberger's self-assessment test in the processing of Khanin to assess the level of anxiety; spectral analysis of the EEG with the construction of graphical power spectra and registration of evoked potentials (EP) with the performance of an attention test in the Go/No-Go paradigm. The results of the study showed the presence of emotional and behavioral disorders in children with ADHD, more pronounced in the combined form of the disease. Complaints of emotional lability, tearfulness, irritability were noted in 53 children with ADHD in the study group (61.6%). At the same time, these complaints were registered in 39 children from the first group (72.2%) and 14 children from the second group (43.8%). The level of inattention was approximately the same (3.21±0.64 and 3.43±0.56, respectively), while the level of hyperactivity and impulsivity in adolescents from the first group was significantly higher (3.18±0.54, p<0.01). Indicators of the SCT scale, as a total indicator (3.4±1.6, p<0.01), and on the scales of «behavior problems» (7.4±1.6, p<0.01), «emotional problems» (8.0±1.6, p<0.01), «problems with peers» (7.6±1.3, p<0.01), «prosocial behavior» (3.4±1.6, p<0.01) were significantly higher in the subgroup of children from the first group. The performed statistical analysis of the test data for attention in the Go/No-Go paradigm revealed significant differences (p<0.01) in the number of omissions of significant pairs of stimuli between healthy children and a subgroup with ADHD with a predominance of inattention, between healthy children and a subgroup with combined form ADHD. When comparing evoked EEG synchronization in the theta range under Go conditions, we found a significant decrease in this parameter in the range of 200-400 ms in the subgroup of children with ADHD with a predominance of inattention and in the subgroup of ADHD with a combined form; under No-Go conditions, a significant decrease in the magnitude of evoked EEG synchronization was revealed in a subgroup of children with combined form ADHD. In general, the results of this study allow us to conclude that impaired cognitive control has a large impact on the development of emotional disorders in children with ADHD.