Associations between birth weight and attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptom severity: indirect effects via primary neuropsychological functions. (5th November 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hatch, Burt; Healey, Dione M.; Halperin, Jeffrey M.
• Is Part Of: Journal of child psychology and psychiatry and allied disciplines. Volume 55:Number 4(2014:Apr.)
• Page Start: 384
• Page End: 392
• Publication Date: 2013-11-05
• Subjects: Child psychology -- Periodicals; Child psychiatry -- Periodicals; 155.4
• DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12168
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0021-9630

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="jcpp12168-abs-0001"> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <sec id="jcpp12168-sec-0001" sec-type="section"> <title>Background</title> <p>Attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has a range of aetiological origins which are associated with a number of disruptions in neuropsychological functioning. This study aimed to examine how low birth weight, a proxy measure for a range of environmental complications during gestation, predicted ADHD symptom severity in preschool‐aged children indirectly via neuropsychological functioning.</p> </sec> <sec id="jcpp12168-sec-0002" sec-type="section"> <title>Methods</title> <p>A total of 197 preschool‐aged children were recruited as part of a larger longitudinal study. Two neuropsychological factors were derived from NEPSY domain scores. One, referred to as 'Primary Neuropsychological Function, ' was loaded highly with Sensorimotor and Visuospatial scores. The other, termed 'Higher‐Order Function' was loaded highly with Language and Memory domain scores. Executive functioning split evenly across the two. Analyses examined whether these neuropsychological factors allowed for an indirect association between birth weight and ADHD symptom severity.</p> </sec> <sec id="jcpp12168-sec-0003" sec-type="section"> <title>Results</title> <p>As both factors were associated with symptom severity, only the Primary Neuropsychological Factor was associated with birth weight. Furthermore, birth weight was indirectly associated to symptom severity via this factor.</p> </sec> <sec id="jcpp12168-sec-0004" sec-type="section"> <title>Conclusions</title> <p>These data indicate that birth weight is indirectly associated with ADHD severity via disruption of neuropsychological functions that are more primary in function as opposed to functions that play a higher‐order role in utilising and integrating the primary functions.</p> </sec> </abstract>