Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-hvd4g Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-02-02T21:55:07.476Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The association between executive functioning and psychopathology: general or specific?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2018

A. J. P. Bloemen ,
A. J. Oldehinkel ,
O. M. Laceulle ,
J. Ormel ,
N. N. J. Rommelse  and
C. A. Hartman
A. J. P. Bloemen*
Affiliation:
University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Interdisciplinary Center Psychopathology and Emotion regulation, Groningen, The Netherlands
A. J. Oldehinkel
Affiliation:
University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Interdisciplinary Center Psychopathology and Emotion regulation, Groningen, The Netherlands
O. M. Laceulle
Affiliation:
Department of Developmental Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
J. Ormel
Affiliation:
University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Interdisciplinary Center Psychopathology and Emotion regulation, Groningen, The Netherlands
N. N. J. Rommelse
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
C. A. Hartman
Affiliation:
University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Interdisciplinary Center Psychopathology and Emotion regulation, Groningen, The Netherlands
*
Author for correspondence: A. J. P. Bloemen, E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background

We modeled both psychopathology and executive function (EF) as bi-factor models to study if EF impairments are transdiagnostic or relate to individual syndromes, and concurrently, if such associations are with general EF or specific EF impairments.

Methods

Data were obtained from the Tracking Adolescents’ Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS; N = 2230). Psychopathology was assessed with parent-report questionnaires at ages 11, 14, 16, and 19, and EF with tasks from the Amsterdam Neuropsychological Tasks program at ages 11 and 19. Bi-factor models were fitted to the data using confirmatory factor analysis. Correlations were estimated to study the associations between general or specific components of both psychopathology and EF.

Results

A bi-factor model with a general psychopathology factor, alongside internalizing (INT), externalizing, attention deficit/hyperactivity (ADHD), and autism spectrum (ASD) problem domains, and a bi-factor model with a general EF factor, alongside specific EFs were adequately fitting measurement models. The best-fitting model between EF and psychopathology showed substantial associations of specific EFs with the general psychopathology factor, in addition to distinct patterns of association with ASD, ADHD, and INT problems.

Conclusions

By studying very diverse psychopathology domains simultaneously, we show how EF impairments cross diagnostic boundaries. In addition to this generic relation, ADHD, ASD, and INT symptomatology show separable profiles of EF impairments. Thus, inconsistent findings in the literature may be explained by substantial transdiagnostic EF impairments. Whether general EF or specific EFs are related to psychopathology needs to be further studied, as differences in fit between these models were small.

Keywords

Executive functioninggeneral psychopathologypsychiatric domains
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 48 , Issue 11 , August 2018 , pp. 1787 - 1794
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

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.)

References

Achenbach, TM (1966) The classification of children's psychiatric symptoms: a factor-analytic study. Psychological Monographs 80, 1–37.Google Scholar
Baddeley, A (2012) Working memory: theories, models, and controversies. Annual Review of Psychology 63, 1–29.Google Scholar
Baune, BT, Fuhr, M, Air, T and Hering, C (2014) Neuropsychological functioning in adolescents and young adults with major depressive disorder – a review. Psychiatry Research 218, 261–271.Google Scholar
Benjamini, Y, Krieger, AM and Yekutieli, D (2006) Adaptive linear step-up procedures that control the false discovery rate. Biometrika 93, 491–507.Google Scholar
Bollen, K and Curran, P (2006) Latent Curve Models: A Structural Equation Perspective. New York, NY: John Wiley.Google Scholar
Brunnekreef, AJ, de Sonneville, LMJ, Althaus, M, Minderaa, RB, Oldehinkel, AJ, Verhulst, FC and Ormel, J (2007) Information processing profiles of internalizing and externalizing behavior problems: evidence from a population-based sample of preadolescents. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 48, 185–193.Google Scholar
Caspi, A, Houts, RM, Belsky, DW, Goldman-Mellor, SJ, Harrington, H, Israel, S, Meier, MH, Ramrakha, S, Shalev, I, Poulton, R and Moffitt, TE (2013) The p factor: one general psychopathology factor in the structure of psychiatric disorders? Clinical Psychological Science 2, 119–137.Google Scholar
Castellanos-Ryan, N, Brière, FN, O'Leary-Barrett, M, Banaschewski, T, Bokde, A, Bromberg, U, Büchel, C, Flor, H, Frouin, V, Gallinat, J, Garavan, H, Martinot, J-L, Nees, F, Paus, T, Pausova, Z, Rietschel, M, Smolka, MN, Robbins, TW, Whelan, R, Schumann, G, Conrod, P and The IMAGEN Consortium (2016) The structure of psychopathology in adolescence and its common personality and cognitive correlates. Journal of Abnormal Psychology 125, 1039–1052.Google Scholar
Collette, F, Hogge, M, Salmon, E and Van der Linden, M (2006) Exploration of the neural substrates of executive functioning by functional neuroimaging. Neuroscience 139, 209–221.Google Scholar
de Sonneville, LMJ (2003) Amsterdam Neuropsychological Tasks, Manual: Database and Appendix. Amstelveen, The Netherlands: Sonar.Google Scholar
de Sonneville, LMJ (2005) Amsterdamse neuropsychologische taken: wetenschappelijke en klinische toepassingen. Tijdschrift voor Neuropsychologie 0, 27–41.Google Scholar
de Winter, AF, Oldehinkel, AJ, Veenstra, R, Brunnekreef, JA, Verhulst, FC and Ormel, J (2005) Evaluation of non-response bias in mental health determinants and outcomes in a large sample of pre-adolescents. European Journal of Epidemiology 20, 173–181.Google Scholar
Diamond, A (2013) Executive functions. Annual Review of Psychology 64, 135–168.Google Scholar
Doyle, AE (2006) Executive functions in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 67, 21–26.Google Scholar
Duncan, J, Emslie, H, Williams, P, Johnson, R and Freer, C (1996) Intelligence and the frontal lobe: the organization of goal-directed behavior. Cognitive Psychology 30, 257–303.Google Scholar
Eaton, NR, Rodriguez-Seijas, C, Carragher, N and Krueger, RF (2015) Transdiagnostic factors of psychopathology and substance use disorders: a review. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 50, 171–182.Google Scholar
Elsabbagh, M, Divan, G, Koh, Y-J, Kim, YS, Kauchali, S, Marcín, C, Montiel-Nava, C, Patel, V, Paula, CS, Wang, C, Yasamy, MT and Fombonne, E (2012) Global prevalence of autism and other pervasive developmental disorders. Autism Research 5, 160–179.Google Scholar
Friedman, NP, Miyake, A, Young, SE, Defries, JC, Corley, RP and Hewitt, JK (2008) Individual differences in executive functions are almost entirely genetic in origin. Journal of Experimental Psychology 137, 201–225.Google Scholar
Hartman, CA, Geurts, HM, Franke, B, Buitelaar, JK and Rommelse, NNJ (2016) Changing ASD-ADHD symptom co-occurrence across the lifespan with adolescence as crucial time window: illustrating the need to go beyond childhood. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 71, 529–541.Google Scholar
Hartman, CA, Luteijn, E, Serra, M and Minderaa, R (2006) Refinement of the children's social behavior questionnaire (CSBQ): an instrument that describes the diverse problems seen in milder forms of PDD. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 36, 325–342.Google Scholar
Hartman, CA, Moorlag, E, de Bildt, A and Minderaa, R (2007) Manual for the CSBQ [Handleiding Voor de VISK]. Amsterdam: Hartcourt.Google Scholar
Hill, EL (2004a). Evaluating the theory of executive dysfunction in autism. Developmental Review 24, 189–233.Google Scholar
Hill, EL (2004b). Executive dysfunction in autism. Trends in Cognitive Sciences 8, 26–32.Google Scholar
Laceulle, OM, Vollebergh, WAM and Ormel, J (2015) The structure of psychopathology in adolescence: replication of the p-factor of general psychopathology in the TRAILS study. Clinical Psychological Science 3, 850–860.Google Scholar
Lahey, BB, Applegate, B, Hakes, JK, Zald, DH, Hariri, AR, Rathouz, PJ (2012) Is there a general factor of prevalent psychopathology during adulthood? Journal of Abnormal Psychology 121, 971–977.Google Scholar
Lahey, BB, Rathouz, PJ, Keenan, K, Stepp, SD, Loeber, R and Hipwell, AE (2015) Criterion validity of the general factor of psychopathology in a prospective study of girls. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 56, 415–422.Google Scholar
Martel, MM, Pan, PM, Hoffmann, MS, Gadelha, A, do Rosário, MC, Mari, JJ, Manfro, GG, Miguel, EC, Paus, T, Bressan, RA, Rohde, LA and Salum, GA (2017) A general psychopathology factor (p factor) in children: structural model analysis and external validation through familial risk and child global executive function. Journal of Abnormal Psychology 126, 137–148.Google Scholar
Martel, MM, Roberts, B, Gremillion, M, von Eye, A and Nigg, JT (2011) External validation of bifactor model of ADHD: explaining heterogeneity in psychiatric comorbidity, cognitive control, and personality trait profiles within DSM-IV ADHD. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 39, 1111–1123.Google Scholar
McGrath, LM, Braaten, EB, Doty, ND, Willoughby, BL, Wilson, HK, O'Donnell, EH, Colvin, MK, Ditmars, HL, Blais, JE, Hill, EN, Metzger, A, Perlis, RH, Willcutt, EG, Smoller, JW, Waldman, ID, Faraone, SV, Seidman, LJ and Doyle, AE (2015) Extending the ‘cross-disorder’ relevance of executive functions to dimensional neuropsychiatric traits in youth. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 57, 462–471.Google Scholar
Millan, MJ, Agid, Y, Brüne, M, Bullmore, ET, Carter, CS, Clayton, NS, Connor, R, Davis, S, Deakin, B, DeRubeis, RJ, Dubois, B, Geyer, MA, Goodwin, GM, Gorwood, P, Jay, TM, Joëls, M, Mansuy, IM, Meyer-Lindenberg, A, Murphy, D, Rolls, E, Saletu, B, Spedding, M, Sweeney, J, Whittington, M and Young, LJ (2012) Cognitive dysfunction in psychiatric disorders: characteristics, causes and the quest for improved therapy. Nature reviews Drug Discovery 11, 141–168.Google Scholar
Miyake, A, Friedman, NP, Emerson, MJ, Witzki, AH, Howerter, A and Wager, TD (2000) The unity and diversity of executive functions and their contributions to complex ‘frontal lobe’ tasks: a latent variable analysis. Cognitive Psychology 41, 49–100.Google Scholar
Nederhof, E, Jörg, F, Raven, D, Veenstra, R, Verhulst, FC, Ormel, J and Oldehinkel, AJ (2012) Benefits of extensive recruitment effort persist during follow-ups and are consistent across age group and survey method. The TRAILS study. BMC Medical Research Methodology 12, 93.Google Scholar
Neumann, A, Pappa, I, Lahey, BB, Verhulst, FC, Medina-Gomez, C, Jaddoe, VW, Bakermans-Kranenburg, MJ, Moffitt, TE, van IJzendoorn, MH and Tiemeier, H (2016) Single nucleotide polymorphism heritability of a general psychopathology factor in children. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 55, 1038–1045.e4.Google Scholar
Niendam, TA, Laird, AR, Ray, KL, Dean, YM, Glahn, DC and Carter, CS (2012) Meta-analytic evidence for a superordinate cognitive control network subserving diverse executive functions. Cognitive, Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience 12, 241–268.Google Scholar
Nigg, JT, Willcutt, EG, Doyle, AE and Sonuga-Barke, EJS (2005) Causal heterogeneity in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: do we need neuropsychologically impaired subtypes? Biological Psychiatry 57, 1224–1230.Google Scholar
Noordhof, A, Krueger, RF, Ormel, J, Oldehinkel, AJ and Hartman, CA (2015) Integrating autism-related symptoms into the dimensional internalizing and externalizing model of psychopathology. The TRAILS study. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 43, 577–587.Google Scholar
Oldehinkel, AJ, Rosmalen, JG, Buitelaar, JK, Hoek, HW, Ormel, J, Raven, D, Reijneveld, SA, Veenstra, R, Verhulst, FC, Vollebergh, WA and Hartman, CA (2015) Cohort profile update: the TRacking Adolescents’ Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS). International Journal of Epidemiology 44, 76–76n.Google Scholar
Roy, A, Oldehinkel, AJ and Hartman, CA (2017) Cognitive functioning in adolescents with self-reported ADHD and depression: results from a population-based study. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 45, 1–13.Google Scholar
Sergeant, JA, Geurts, H and Oosterlaan, J (2002) How specific is a deficit of executive functioning for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder? Behavioural Brain Research 130, 3–28.Google Scholar
Smith, SR (2007) Making sense of multiple informants in child and adolescent psychopathology: a guide for clinicians. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment 25, 139–149.Google Scholar
Snyder, HR, Miyake, A and Hankin, BL (2015) Advancing understanding of executive function impairments and psychopathology: bridging the gap between clinical and cognitive approaches. Frontiers in Psychology 6, 328.Google Scholar
Stefanopoulou, E, Manoharan, A, Landau, S, Geddes, JR, Goodwin, G and Frangou, S (2009) Cognitive functioning in patients with affective disorders and schizophrenia: a meta-analysis. International Review of Psychiatry 21, 336–356.Google Scholar
Stordal, KI, Mykletun, A, Asbjørnsen, A, Egeland, J, Landrø, NI, Roness, A, Rund, BR, Sundet, KS, Lundervold, AJ and Lund, A (2005) General psychopathology is more important for executive functioning than diagnosis. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica 111, 22–28.Google Scholar
Verhulst, FC, Ende, J and Koot, H (1996) Handleiding Voor de CBCL/4-18. [Manual for the CBCL/4-18]. MC, Rotterdam: Sophia Kinderziekenhuis Erasmus.Google Scholar
Vilgis, V, Silk, TJ and Vance, A (2015) Executive function and attention in children and adolescents with depressive disorders: a systematic review. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 24, 365–384.Google Scholar
Willcutt, EG, Doyle, AE, Nigg, JT, Faraone, SV and Pennington, BF (2005) Validity of the executive function theory of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a meta-analytic review. Biological Psychiatry 57, 1336–1346.Google Scholar
Yang, Y, Cao, S, Shields, GS, Teng, Z and Liu, Y (2017) The relationships between rumination and core executive functions: a meta-analysis. Depression and Anxiety 34, 37–50.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Bloemen et al. supplementary material

Bloemen et al. supplementary material 1

Download Bloemen et al. supplementary material(File)
File 111.1 KB