Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dlnhk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-02T23:03:41.041Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Dysregulation in children: Origins and implications from age 5 to age 28

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2017

Maureen E. McQuillan*
Affiliation:
Indiana University
Ebru C. Kultur
Affiliation:
Hacettepe University
John E. Bates
Affiliation:
Indiana University
Lauren M. O'Reilly
Affiliation:
Indiana University
Kenneth A. Dodge
Affiliation:
Duke University
Jennifer E. Lansford
Affiliation:
Duke University
Gregory S. Pettit
Affiliation:
Auburn University
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Maureen E. McQuillan, Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, 1101 East Tenth Street, Bloomington, IN 47405; E-mail: [email protected].

Abstract

Research shows that childhood dysregulation is associated with later psychiatric disorders. It does not yet resolve discrepancies in the operationalization of dysregulation. It is also far from settled on the origins and implications of individual differences in dysregulation. This study tested several operational definitions of dysregulation using Achenbach attention, anxious/depressed, and aggression subscales. Individual growth curves of dysregulation were computed, and predictors of growth differences were considered. The study also compared the predictive utility of the dysregulation indexes to standard externalizing and internalizing indexes. Dysregulation was indexed annually for 24 years in a community sample (n = 585). Hierarchical linear models considered changes in dysregulation in relation to possible influences from parenting, family stress, child temperament, language, and peer relations. In a test of the meaning of dysregulation, it was related to functional and psychiatric outcomes in adulthood. Dysregulation predictions were further compared to those of the more standard internalizing and externalizing indexes. Growth curve analyses showed strong stability of dysregulation. Initial levels of dysregulation were predicted by temperamental resistance to control, and change in dysregulation was predicted by poor language ability and peer relations. Dysregulation and externalizing problems were associated with negative adult outcomes to a similar extent.

Type
Regular Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

The Child Development Project has been funded by Grants MH42498, MH56961, MH57024, and MH57095 from the National Institutes of Mental Health; Grant HD30572 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; and Grant DA016903 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Kenneth A. Dodge was supported by National Institute of Drug Abuse Grant 2K05 DA015226. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Institutes of Health or Indiana University.

References

Achenbach, T. M. (1991). Integrative guide for the 1991 CBCL (4–18), YSR, and TRF profiles. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont, Department of Psychiatry.Google Scholar
Achenbach, T. M. (1998). Young Adult Self-Report for the Child Behavior Checklist. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont, Department of Psychiatry.Google Scholar
Achenbach, T. M., Howell, C. T., McConaughy, S. H., & Stanger, C. (1995). Six-year predictors of problems in a national sample: III. Transitions to young adult syndromes. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 34, 658669. doi:10.1097/00004583-199505000-00018Google Scholar
Achenbach, T. M., & Rescorla, L. (2001). ASEBA school-age forms & profiles. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont, Department of Psychiatry.Google Scholar
Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. (1981). Understanding attitudes and predicting social behavior. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.Google Scholar
Althoff, R. R., Ayer, L. A., Crehan, E. T., Rettew, D. C., Baer, J. R., & Hudziak, J. J. (2012). Temperamental profiles of dysregulated children. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 43, 511522. doi:10.1007/s10578-012-0280-7Google Scholar
Althoff, R. R., Rettew, D. C., Ayer, L. A., & Hudziak, J. J. (2010). Cross-informant agreement of the dysregulation profile of the Child Behavior Checklist. Psychiatry Research, 178, 550555. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2010. 05.002Google Scholar
Althoff, R. R., Rettew, D. C., Faraone, S. V., Boomsma, D. I., & Hudziak, J. J. (2006). Latent class analysis shows strong heritability of the Child Behavior Checklist-juvenile bipolar phenotype. Biological Psychiatry, 60, 903911. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2006.02.025Google Scholar
Althoff, R. R., Verhulst, F. C., Rettew, D. C., Hudziak, J. J., & Van der Ende, J. (2010). Adult outcomes of childhood dysregulation: A 14-year follow-up study. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 49, 11051116. doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2010.08.006Google Scholar
Anderson, N. H., & Butzin, C. A. (1974). Performance = Motivation × Ability: An integration-theoretical analysis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 30, 598604. doi:10.1037/h0037447Google Scholar
Ayer, L., Althoff, R., Ivanova, M., Rettew, D., Waxler, E., Sulman, J., & Hudziak, J. (2009). Child Behavior Checklist Juvenile Bipolar Disorder (CBCL-JBD) and CBCL Posttraumatic Stress Problems (CBCL-PTSP) scales are measures of a single dysregulatory syndrome. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 50, 12911300. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2009.02089.xGoogle Scholar
Basten, M. M., Althoff, R. R., Tiemeier, H., Jaddoe, V. W., Hofman, A., Hudziak, J. J., … van der Ende, J. (2013). The dysregulation profile in young children: Empirically defined classes in the Generation R study. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 52, 841850. doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2013.05.007Google Scholar
Bates, J. E., Pettit, G. S., Dodge, K. A., & Ridge, B. (1998). Interaction of temperamental resistance to control and restrictive parenting in the development of externalizing behavior. Developmental Psychology, 34, 982995. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.34.5.982Google Scholar
Biederman, J., Petty, C. R., Day, H., Goldin, R. L., Spencer, T., Faraone, S. V., … Wozniak, J. (2012). Severity of the aggression/anxiety-depression/attention Child Behavior Checklist profile discriminates between different levels of deficits in emotional regulation in youth with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 33, 236243. doi:10.1097/DBP.0b013e3182475267Google Scholar
Biederman, J., Petty, C. R., Monuteaux, M. C., Evans, M., Parcell, T., Faraone, S. V., & Wozniak, J. (2009). The Child Behavior Checklist-pediatric bipolar disorder profile predicts a subsequent diagnosis of bipolar disorder and associated impairments in ADHD youth growing up: A longitudinal analysis. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 70, 732740. doi:10.4088/JCP.08m04821Google Scholar
Biederman, J., Spencer, T. J., Petty, C., Hyder, L. L., O'Connor, K. B., Surman, C. B., & Faraone, S. V. (2012). Longitudinal course of deficient emotional self-regulation CBCL profile in youth with ADHD: Prospective controlled study. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 8, 267276. doi:10.2147/NDT.S29670Google Scholar
Biesanz, J. C., Deeb-Sossa, N., Aubrecht, A. M., Bollen, K. A., & Curran, P. J. (2004). The role of coding time in estimating and interpreting growth curve models. Psychological Methods, 9, 3052. doi:10.1037/1082-989X.9.1.30Google Scholar
Bird, H. R., Gould, M. S., & Staghezza, B. (1992). Aggregating data from multiple informants in child psychiatry epidemiological research. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 31, 7885. doi:10.1097/00004583-199201000-00012Google Scholar
Boomsma, D. I., Rebollo, I., Derks, E. M., Van Beijsterveldt, T. C. E. M., Althoff, R. R., Rettew, , & Hudjiak, J. J. (2006). Longitudinal stability of the CBCL–juvenile bipolar disorder phenotype: A study in Dutch twins. Biological Psychiatry, 60, 912920. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2006.02.028Google Scholar
Caro-Cañizares, I., García-Nieto, R., & Carballo, J. J. (2015). Biological and environmental predictors of the dysregulation profile in children and adolescents: The story so far. International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health, 27, 135141. doi:10.1515/ijamh-2015-5004Google Scholar
Caspi, A., Houts, R. M., Belsky, D. W., Goldman-Mellor, S. J., Harrington, H., Israel, S., … Moffitt, T. E. (2014). The p factor: One general psychopathology factor in the structure of psychiatric disorders? Clinical Psychological Science, 2, 119137. doi:10.1177/2167702613497473Google Scholar
Coie, J. D., Dodge, K. A., & Coppotelli, H. (1982). Dimensions and types of social status: A cross-age perspective. Developmental Psychology, 18, 557570. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.18.4.557Google Scholar
Daly, M., Delaney, L., Egan, M., & Baumeister, R. F. (2015). Childhood self-control and unemployment throughout the life span evidence from two British cohort studies. Psychological Science, 26, 709723. doi:10.1177/0956797615569001Google Scholar
Deater-Deckard, K., Dodge, K. A., Bates, J. E., & Pettit, G. S. (1996). Physical discipline among African American and European American mothers: Links to children's externalizing behaviors. Developmental Psychology, 32, 10651072. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.32.6.1065Google Scholar
De Caluwé, E., Decuyper, M., & De Clercq, B. (2013). The Child Behavior Checklist dysregulation profile predicts adolescent DSM-5 pathological personality traits 4 years later. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 22, 401411. doi:10.1007/s00787-013-0379-9Google Scholar
De Ridder, D. T., Lensvelt-Mulders, G., Finkenauer, C., Stok, F. M., & Baumeister, R. F. (2012). Taking stock of self-control: A meta-analysis of how trait self-control relates to a wide range of behaviors. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 16, 7699. doi:10.1177/1088868311418749Google Scholar
Derksen, S., & Keselman, H. J. (1992). Backward, forward and stepwise automated subset selection algorithms: Frequency of obtaining authentic and noise variables. British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology, 45, 265282. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8317.1992.tb00992.xGoogle Scholar
Deutz, M. H., Geeraerts, S. B., van Baar, A. L., Deković, M., & Prinzie, P. (2016). The dysregulation profile in middle childhood and adolescence across reporters: Factor structure, measurement invariance, and links with self-harm and suicidal ideation. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 25, 431442. doi:10.1007/s00787-015-0745-xGoogle Scholar
Diler, R. S., Birmaher, B., Axelson, D., Goldstein, B., Gill, M., Strober, M., … Keller, M. B. (2009). The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the CBCL-bipolar phenotype are not useful in diagnosing pediatric bipolar disorder. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, 19, 2330. doi:10.1089/cap.2008.067Google Scholar
Dodge, K. A., Bates, J. E., & Pettit, G. S. (1990). Mechanisms in the cycle of violence. Science, 250, 16781683. doi:10.1126/science.2270481Google Scholar
Dodge, K. A., Lochman, J. E., Harnish, J. D., Bates, J. E., & Pettit, G. S. (1997). Reactive and proactive aggression in school children and psychiatrically impaired chronically assaultive youth. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 106, 37.Google Scholar
Dodge, K. A., Pettit, G. S., & Bates, J. E. (1994). Socialization mediators of the relation between socioeconomic status and child conduct problems. Child Development, 65, 649665. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.32.6.1065Google Scholar
Doerfler, L. A., Connor, D. F., & Toscano, P. F. (2010). The CBCL Bipolar Profile and attention, mood, and behavior dysregulation. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 20, 545553. doi:10.1007/s10826-010-9426-zGoogle Scholar
Enders, C. K., & Tofighi, D. (2007). Centering predictor variables in cross-sectional multilevel models: A new look at an old issue. Psychological Methods, 12, 121138. doi:10.1037/1082-989X.12.2.121Google Scholar
Fergusson, D. M., & Horwood, L. J. (1995). Predictive validity of categorically and dimensionally scored measures of disruptive childhood behaviors. Journal of the American Academy of child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 34, 477487. doi:10.1097/00004583-199504000-00015Google Scholar
Fisher, R. A. (1921). On the probable error of a coefficient of correlation deduced from a small sample. Metron, 1, 132.Google Scholar
Gaertner, B. M., Spinrad, T. L., & Eisenberg, N. (2008). Focused attention in toddlers: Measurement, stability, and relations to negative emotion and parenting. Infant and Child Development, 17, 339363. doi:10.1002/icd.580Google Scholar
Geeraerts, S. B., Deutz, M. H. F., Deković, M., Bunte, T., Schoemaker, K., Espy, K. A., … Matthys, W. (2015). The Child Behavior Checklist dysregulation profile in preschool children: A broad dysregulation syndrome. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 54, 595602. doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2015.04.012Google Scholar
Holtmann, M., Becker, A., Banaschewski, T., Rothenberger, A., & Roessner, V. (2011). Psychometric validity of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire-Dysregulation Profile. Psychopathology, 44, 5359. doi:10.1159/000318164Google Scholar
Holtmann, M., Buchmann, A. F., Esser, G., Schmidt, M. H., Banaschewski, T., & Laucht, M. (2011). The Child Behavior Checklist-dysregulation profile predicts substance use, suicidality, and functional impairment: A longitudinal analysis. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 52, 139147. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2010.02309.xGoogle Scholar
Hudziak, J. J., Althoff, R. R., Derks, E. M., Faraone, S. V., & Boomsma, D. I. (2005). Prevalence and genetic architecture of Child Behavior Checklist-juvenile bipolar disorder. Biological Psychiatry, 58, 562568. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2005.03.024Google Scholar
Jucksch, V., Salbach-Andrae, H., Lenz, K., Goth, K., Döpfner, M., Poustka, F., … Holtmann, M. (2011). Severe affective and behavioral dysregulation is associated with significant psychosocial adversity and impairment. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 52, 686695. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2010.02322.xGoogle Scholar
Kahana, S. Y., Youngstrom, E. A., Findling, R. L., & Calabrese, J. R. (2003). Employing parent, teacher, and youth self-report checklists in identifying pediatric bipolar spectrum disorders: An examination of diagnostic accuracy and clinical utility. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, 13, 471488. doi:10.1089/104454603322724869Google Scholar
Keiley, M. K., Lofthouse, N., Bates, J. E., Dodge, K. A., & Pettit, G. S. (2003). Differential risks of covarying and pure components in mother and teacher reports of externalizing and internalizing behavior across ages 5 to 14. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 31, 267283. doi:10.1023/A:1023277413027.Google Scholar
Kim, J., Carlson, G. A., Meyer, S. E., Bufferd, S. J., Dougherty, L. R., Dyson, M. W., … Klein, D. N. (2012). Correlates of the CBCL-dysregulation profile in preschool-aged children. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 53, 918926. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2012.02546.xGoogle Scholar
Kraemer, H. C., Noda, A., & O'Hara, R. (2004). Categorical versus dimensional approaches to diagnosis: Methodological challenges. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 38, 1725. doi:10.1016/S0022-3956(03)00097-9Google Scholar
Lahey, B. B., Applegate, B., Hakes, J. K., Zald, D. H., Hariri, A. R., & Rathouz, P. J. (2012). Is there a general factor of prevalent psychopathology during adulthood? Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 121, 971977. doi:10.1037/a0028355Google Scholar
Laird, R. D., Jordan, K. Y., Dodge, K. A., Pettit, G. S., & Bates, J. E. (2001). Peer rejection in childhood, involvement with antisocial peers in early adolescence, and the development of externalizing behavior problems. Development and Psychopathology, 13, 337354.Google Scholar
Lansford, J. E., Staples, A. D., Bates, J. E., Pettit, G. S., & Dodge, K. A. (2013). Trajectories of mothers’ discipline strategies and interparental conflict: Interrelated change during middle childhood. Journal of Family Communication, 13, 178195. doi:10.1080/15267431.2013.796947Google Scholar
Lengua, L. J. (2003). Associations among emotionality, self-regulation, adjustment problems, and positive adjustment in middle childhood. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 24, 595618. doi:10.1016/j.appdev.2003.08.002Google Scholar
Mbekou, V., Gignac, M., MacNeil, S., Mackay, P., & Renaud, J. (2014). The CBCL dysregulated profile: An indicator of pediatric bipolar disorder or of psychopathology severity? Journal of Affective Disorders, 155, 299302. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2013.10.033Google Scholar
McGuire, J. F., Small, B. J., Lewin, A. B., Murphy, T. K., De Nadai, A. S., Phares, V., … Storch, E. A. (2013). Dysregulation in pediatric obsessive compulsive disorder. Psychiatry Research, 209, 589595. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2013.04.003Google Scholar
Meyer, S. E., Carlson, G. A., Youngstrom, E., Ronsaville, D. S., Martinez, P. E., Gold, P. W., … Radke-Yarrow, M. (2008). Long-term outcomes of youth who manifested the CBCL-pediatric bipolar disorder phenotype during childhood and/or adolescence. Journal of Affective Disorders, 113, 227235. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2008.05.024Google Scholar
Miller, J. L., Vaillancourt, T., & Boyle, M. H. (2009). Examining the heterotypic continuity of aggression using teacher reports: Results from a national Canadian study. Social Development, 18, 164180. doi:10.1111/ j.1467-9507.2008.00480.xGoogle Scholar
Olson, S. L., Sameroff, A. J., Davis-Kean, P., Lansford, J. E., Sexton, H. R., Bates, J. E., … Dodge, K. A. (2013). Deconstructing the externalizing spectrum: Growth patterns of overt aggression, covert aggression, oppositional behavior, impulsivity/inattention and emotion dysregulation between school entry and early adolescence. Development and Psychopathology, 25, 817842. doi:10.1017/S0954579413000199Google Scholar
Petersen, I. T., Bates, J. E., Dodge, K. A., Lansford, J. E., & Pettit, G. S. (2014). Describing and predicting developmental profiles of externalizing problems from childhood to adulthood. Development and Psychopathology, 27, 128. doi:10.1017/S0954579414000789Google Scholar
Petersen, I. T., Bates, J. E., D'Onofrio, B. M., Coyne, C. A., Lansford, J. E., Dodge, K. A., … Van Hulle, C. A. (2013). Language ability predicts the development of behavior problems in children. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 122, 542557. doi:10.1037/a0031963Google Scholar
Petersen, I. T., Bates, J. E., & Staples, A. D. (2014). The role of language ability and self-regulation in the development of inattentive–hyperactive behavior problems. Development and Psychopathology, 27, 117. doi:10.1017/S0954579414000698Google Scholar
Pettit, G. S., Bates, J. E., & Dodge, K. A. (1997). Supportive parenting, ecological context, and children's adjustment: A seven-year longitudinal study. Child Development, 68, 908923. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.1997.tb01970.xGoogle Scholar
Peyre, H., Speranza, M., Cortese, S., Wohl, M., & Purper-Ouakil, D. (2015). Do ADHD children with and without Child Behavior Checklist–dysregulation profile have different clinical characteristics, cognitive features, and treatment outcomes? Journal of Attention Disorders, 19, 6371. doi:10.1177/1087054712452135Google Scholar
Robins, L. N. (1985). Epidemiology: Reflections on testing the validity of psychiatric interviews. Archives of General Psychiatry, 42, 918924. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.1985.01790320090013Google Scholar
Rothbart, M. K., Ziaie, H., & O'Boyle, C. G. (1992). Self-regulation and emotion in infancy. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 55, 723.Google Scholar
SAS Institute. (2013). SAS 9.4 [Computer software]. Retrieved from http://www.sas.com/en_us/software/sas9.htmlGoogle Scholar
Schermerhorn, A. C., Bates, J. E., Goodnight, J. A., Lansford, J. E., Dodge, K. A., & Pettit, G. S. (2013). Temperament moderates associations between exposure to stress and children's externalizing problems. Child Development, 84, 15791593. doi:10.1111/cdev.12076Google Scholar
Singer, J. D., & Willett, J. B. (2003). Applied longitudinal data analysis: Modeling change and event occurrence. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Sitzmann, T., & Ely, K. (2011). A meta-analysis of self-regulated learning in work-related training and educational attainment: What we know and where we need to go. Psychological Bulletin, 137, 421442. doi:10.1037/a0022777Google Scholar
Sonuga-Barke, E. J., Thompson, M., Abikoff, H., Klein, R., & Brotman, L. M. (2006). Nonpharmacological interventions for preschoolers with ADHD: The case for specialized parent training. Infants & Young Children, 19, 142153.Google Scholar
Spencer, T. J., Faraone, S. V., Surman, C. B., Petty, C., Clarke, A., Batchelder, H., … Biederman, J. (2011). Toward defining deficient emotional self-regulation in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder using the Child Behaviour Checklist: A controlled study. Postgraduate Medicine, 123, 5059. doi:10.3810/pgm.2011.09.2459Google Scholar
Stiffman, A. R., Horwitz, S. M., Hoagwood, K., Compton, W., Cottler, L., Bean, D. L., … Weisz, J. R. (2000). The Service Assessment for Children and Adolescents (SACA): Adult and child reports. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 39, 10321039. doi:10.1097/00004583-200008000-00019Google Scholar
Volk, H. E., & Todd, R. D. (2007). Does the Child Behavior Checklist juvenile bipolar disorder phenotype identify bipolar disorder? Biological Psychiatry, 62, 115120. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2006.05.036Google Scholar
Youngstrom, E., Findling, R. L., & Calabrese, J. R. (2003). Who are the comorbid adolescents? Agreement between psychiatric diagnosis, youth, parent, and teacher report. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 31, 231245. doi:10.1023/A:1023244512119Google Scholar
Youngstrom, E., Meyers, O., Youngstrom, J. K., Calabrese, J. R., & Findling, R. L. (2006). Comparing the effects of sampling designs on the diagnostic accuracy of eight promising screening algorithms for pediatric bipolar disorder. Biological Psychiatry, 60, 10131019. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2006.06.023Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

McQuillan et al supplementary material

McQuillan et al supplementary material 1

Download McQuillan et al supplementary material(File)
File 306.6 KB