title: Affective and neuropsychological correlates of children's rituals and compulsive-like behaviors: continuities and discontinuities with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
abstract: This study explored the relations among ritualistic and compulsive-like behavior, fears, and neuropsychological performance in typically developing children between the ages of four and eight years. Forty-two children were administered a battery of neuropsychological tasks assessing response inhibition and set-shifting. Two parent-report questionnaires assessed the intensity of children's fears and compulsive-like behaviors ("just right" perceptions and repetitive behaviors). For younger children (72 months), set-shifting and response inhibition accounted for significant variance in their ritualistic, compulsive-like behaviors. For older children (>72 months), a combination of neuropsychological (response inhibition) and affective (animal fears and social anxiety) factors predicted compulsive-like behaviors. These findings suggest that common neuropsychological mechanisms underlie compulsive, ritualistic behavior exhibited in normal development and in obsessive-compulsive disorder.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Ashley S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Pietrefesa
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Evans
mesh_terms: D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology; D000367:Age Factors; D002562:Ceremonial Behavior; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003192:Compulsive Behavior / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000502:physiology; D006184:Habits; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D002666:Psychology, Child; D012016:Reference Values; D012718:Set, Psychology