Executive Dysfunction in Internalizing and Externalizing Disorders inAdolescents

Objective:The present study was to evaluate the role of the Executive dysfunction in internalizing and externalizing disorders in adolescents.Method:Statistical population consists of all male and female students in the first grade of highschool in 2017-2018 who have anxiety disorders, depression, attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder, and oppositional defiant disorder based on the clinical interviews and The Child Behavior Checklist Achenbach. Adolescents who are diagnosed with these four disorders were compared with regard to different areas of Executive dysfunction. The sample was choosen from students of 8 highschools of the 17 district of Tehran.The sample size in each group was 30 persons and a total of 120 people. Research instruments include The Child Behavior Checklist Achenbach for ages 6-18 and the Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale-Children and Adolescents (BDEFS-CA).Findings:Using Spss, diagnosis analysis method, and variance analysis it was found that there are significant differences between components of executive dysfunction in internalizing and externalizing disorders.Conclusion:Also, the components of executive dysfunction can distinguish internalizing and externalizing disorders.

کلیدواژه ها:

executive dysfunction ، internalizing disorder ، externalizing disorder