Adaptive Dynamics of Cognitive and Behavioral Variability in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Long-Term Effects, Neural Bases, and Susceptibility to Intervention
Final Report Abstract
The overall objective of this project was to investigate (a) fluctuations in self-regulation abilities of children at different temporal scales (i.e., trial-to-trial, day-to-day, and burst-to-burst), (b) how these fluctuations influence the ability of children to adapt to difficulties they encounter in their daily lives, and (c) the impact of a self-regulation intervention on the fluctuations of these self-regulation abilities. To this end, three measurement bursts were acquired from a sample of 55 children. Each burst was 18 days long, and on each day children answered provided three times subjective judgments concerning a number of items relating to self-regulation and affect, A subgroup of children additionally participated repeatedly in an EEG study during which they completed an executive control task. During the second measurement burst, all children participated in a self-regulation intervention which aimed at enhancing self-regulation via the formulation of if-then plans. Relative to the original project plan, it was not possible to conduct measurements in schools, and fewer measurement bursts could be acquired. On the other hand, each more days could be covered during each measurement burst, so that more data are available to examine dynamic fluctuations of behavior within each burst. Analyses of event-related brain potentials over time (trial-to-trial variability) indicated an association of brain-signal variability to ADHD-related symptoms assessed in an unselected cohort of typically-developing children. Specifically, this association was found for trial-to-trial variability in the amplitude of the inhibition- and salience-related P3 component of the ERP. Preliminary results indicate also associations with measures of brain signal complexity, i.e., multiscale entropy. We interpret these results as empirical support from a developmental sample for dimensional models of ADHD and executive functions. Finally, we found intra- and interindividual associations of children’s daily self-regulation skills and everyday dyadic interaction with their parents (in child and parental reports) which leads to further studies in the area of dyadic behavior change models. Also, we gained more insight into the connection of everyday time spent in nature, activity, and affect/inattention in children on a within- and between person perspective; and the effectiveness of a self-regulation intervention on a day-to-day level (instead of comparing pre and post measures). Together, we interpret these results as highly informative with respect to the development of tailored (self-regulation) interventions for children in the school context.
Publications
- (2019). Measuring and Compensating for Deficits of Self- Regulation in School Children via Ambulatory Assessment. Psychology in Russia: State of the Art, 12(4), 8-22
Schwarz, U., Gawrilow, C.
(See online at https://doi.org/10.11621/pir.2019.0401) - (2019). Subclinical variations in ADHD related behaviors are associated with the modular structure of intrinsic brain networks. Network Neuroscience, 3, 567-588
Hilger, K., & Fiebach, C. J.
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1162/netn_a_00083) - (2020). Neurophysiological markers of ADHD symptoms in typicallydeveloping children. Scientific Reports, 10, 22460
Hilger, K., Sassenhagen, J., Kühnhausen, J., Reuter, M., Schwarz, U., Gawrilow, C., & Fiebach, C. J.
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-80562-0) - (2020). Within-person relationship between daily time spent in natural spaces and affect as well as inattention in children’s daily life, Umweltpsychologie, 24(2), 176-199
Reuter, M., Kühnhausen, J., Haas, P., Gawrilow, C.
- (2021). Children's daily time in natural spaces during spring/summer time: Within-person restoration and the role of environmental attitude. Umweltpsychologie, 25(2), 169-189
Reuter, M., Kühnhausen, J., Kleinhansl, M., Henn, L., & Gawrilow, C.
- (2022). Fluctuations in children’s selfregulation and parent-child interaction in everyday life: An ambulatory assessment study. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships
Moschko, T., Stadler, G., & Gawrilow, C.
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075221116788) - (2022). The association of self-reported ADHD symptoms and sleep in daily life of a general population sample of school children: An inter- and intraindividual perspective. Brain Sciences, 12(4), 440
Buhr, L., Moschko, T., Eppinger Ruiz de Zarate, A., Schwarz, U., Kühnhausen, J., & Gawrilow, C.
(See online at https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12040440)
