Contextual variation in young children's observed disruptive behavior on the DB‐DOS: implications for early identification

Abstract

Background Contextual variation in child disruptive behavior is well documented but remains poorly understood. We first examine how variation in observed disruptive behavior across interactional contexts is associated with maternal reports of contextual variation in oppositional-defiant behavior and functional impairment. Second, we test whether child inhibitory control explains the magnitude of contextual variation in observed disruptive behavior. Methods Participants are 497 young children (mean age = 4 years, 11 months) from a subsample of the MAPS, a sociodemographically diverse pediatric sample, enriched for risk of disruptive behavior. Observed anger modulation and behavioral regulation problems were coded on the Disruptive Behavior Diagnostic Observation Schedule (DB-DOS) during interactions with parent and examiner. Oppositional-defiant behavior, and impairment in relationships, with parents and nonparental adults, were measured with the Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment (PAPA) interview with the mother. Functional impairment in the home and out-and-about was assessed with the Family Life Impairment Scale (FLIS), and expulsion from child care/school was measured with the baseline survey and FLIS. Results Observed disruptive behavior on the DB-DOS Parent Context was associated with oppositional-defiant behavior with parents, and with impairment at home and out-and-about. Observed disruptive behavior with the Examiner was associated with oppositional-defiant behavior with both parents and nonparental adults, impairment in relationships with nonparental adults, and child care/school expulsion. Differences in observed disruptive behavior in the Parent versus Examiner Contexts was related to the differences in maternal reports of oppositional-defiant behavior with parents versus nonparental adults. Children with larger decreases in disruptive behavior from Parent to Examiner Context had better inhibitory control and fewer attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms. Conclusions The DB-DOS showed clinical utility in a community sample for identifying contextual variation that maps onto reported oppositional-defiant behavior and functioning across contexts. Elucidating the implications of contextual variation for early identification and targeted prevention is an important area for future research.

Annual Research Review: On the relations among self‐regulation, self‐control, executive functioning, effortful control, cognitive control, impulsivity, risk‐taking, and inhibition for developmental psychopathology

“…Self‐regulation holds almost unparalleled importance to mental health. Poor SR in some form is related to attention deficit/hyperactive disorder (ADHD) and internalizing and externalizing psychopathology (Calkins, Graziano, & Keane, ; Eisenberg et al., ; Espy, Sheffield, Wiebe, Clark, & Moehr, ; Martel & Nigg, ; Olson, Sameroff, Kerr, Lopez, & Wellman, ; Petitclerc et al., ; Rothbart & Bates, ; Wakschlag et al., ), addiction (Zucker, Heitzeg, & Nigg, ), depression (Wang, Chassin, Eisenberg, & Spinrad, ), bipolar disorder risk (Tseng et al., ), schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder, obsessive–compulsive and habit disorders (Fineberg et al., ), eating disorders, some personality disorders (Nigg, Silk, Stavro, & Miller, ), and others. Processes of SR are integral to the emergence of psychopathology (Rothbart, ).…”

Comparing the characteristics and outcomes of parent‐ and teacher‐reported oppositional defiant disorder: findings from a national sample

“…() found mother–teacher agreements on the oppositionality of young children were higher when parents were asked to rate the behaviour of their children within the school context. It has also been found that the disruptive behaviour of preschoolers when interacting with parents and with unfamiliar examiners in an experimental situation differentially predicts context‐specific reports of oppositionality (Petitclerc et al., ).…”

Longitudinal associations between low morning cortisol in infancy and anger dysregulation in early childhood in a CPS‐referred sample

“…Studies using observational behavior assessments have shown that children's interactions with researchers and their parents generally align with reports of behavior problems in school and at home, respectively (De Los Reyes, Henry, Tolan, & Wakschlag, 2009;Gray et al, 2012;Petitclerc et al, 2015). Specifically, the Disruptive Behavior Diagnostic Observation Schedule (DB-DOS) is an observational paradigm that elicits behavioral and emotional dysregulation by placing children in challenging situations with different interactional partners and varying levels of adult support.…”