Relation Between Oppositional/Conduct Behaviors and Executive Function Among Youth with Histories of Heavy Prenatal Alcohol Exposure

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Lauren R. Doyle, San Diego State University; Leila Glass, University of California Los Angeles; Jeffrey R. Wozniak, University of Minnesota; Julie Kable, Emory University; Edward P. Riley, San Diego State University; Claire Coles, Emory University; Elizabeth R. Sowell, University of Southern California; Kenneth Lyons Jones, University of California San Diego; Sarah N. Mattson, San Diego State University
• Language: English
• Date: 2019-06-01
• Publisher: WILEY
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2019 by the Research Society on Alcoholism
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/acer.14036
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: ALCOHOLISM-CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH
• Volume: 43
• Issue: 6
• Start Page: 1135
• End Page: 1144
• Grant/Funding Information: Research described in this paper was supported by NIAAA grant number U01 AA014834.; Additional support was provided by F31 AA025256, U24 AA014811, U24 AA014815.; All or part of this work was done in conjunction with the Collaborative Initiative on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (CIFASD), which is funded by grants from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).
• Keywords: DEFIANT DISORDER; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Science & Technology; Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders; PERFORMANCE; Executive Function; ANTISOCIAL-BEHAVIOR; ADHD; DEFICIT-HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER; PSYCHOPATHOLOGY; Neurobehavioral Profile; Substance Abuse; ATTENTION-DEFICIT/HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER; 10-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN; Fetal Alcohol Syndrome; RATING INVENTORY; SPECTRUM DISORDERS
• Research Categories: Sociology, Public and Social Welfare; Psychology, Developmental; Psychology, Physiological

Abstract

Background: Youth with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure have high rates of behavioral concerns and psychopathology, including increased oppositional and conduct behaviors. The relation between those concerns and executive function (EF) deficits is unknown. We investigated the association of oppositional and conduct behavior and EF in adolescents to inform targeted intervention. Methods: Subjects (N = 267) ages 10 to 17 years comprised 3 groups: alcohol-exposed with oppositional/conduct behaviors (AE+), alcohol-exposed without oppositional/conduct behaviors (AE−), and controls (CON). Group differences on direct neuropsychological (Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System [D-KEFS]) and indirect parent-report (Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function [BRIEF]) EF measures were tested with multivariate analysis of covariances, followed by univariate analysis of variances and pairwise comparisons. The contribution of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) within the AE groups was assessed in secondary analyses. Results: On the D-KEFS, there was an omnibus main effect of group, with significant main effects on 3 of 6 variables (CON>AE+, AE−). Within the AE groups, ADHD did not alter the results. On the BRIEF, there was an omnibus significant main effect of group, with significant main effects on all scales (CON<AE−<AE+). Within the AE groups, the AE+ group had higher BRIEF scores (i.e., more difficulty) than the AE− group on 4 of 8 subscales when accounting for presence of ADHD. Conclusions: EF deficits in youth with histories of prenatal alcohol exposure were confirmed using direct and indirect measures. Oppositional/conduct behaviors related to EF deficits on indirect but not direct EF measures. Greater understanding of the contribution of concurrent psychopathology to long-term outcomes for alcohol-exposed youth requires further investigation.