Effects of background anger, provocation, and methylphenidate on emotional arousal and aggressive responding in attention-deficit hyperactivity disordered boys with and without concurrent aggressiveness

We investigated the effects of background anger, provocation, and methylphenidate on emotional, physiological, and behavioral responding in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with and without concurrent aggression. Our study revealed that ADHD boys showed more emotional an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of abnormal child psychology 1991-08, Vol.19 (4), p.407-426
Main Authors: PELHAM, W. E, MILICH, R, CUMMINGS, E. M, MURPHY, D. A, SCHAUGHENCY, E. A, GREINER, A. R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aggression - psychology
Analysis of Variance
Anger
Arousal - drug effects
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - complications
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - drug therapy
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - psychology
Biological and medical sciences
Child
Child Behavior Disorders - complications
Child Behavior Disorders - psychology
Double-Blind Method
Family - psychology
Heart Rate - drug effects
Heart Rate - physiology
Humans
Interpersonal Relations
Male
Medical sciences
Methylphenidate - pharmacology
Methylphenidate - therapeutic use
Neuropharmacology
Peer Group
Pharmacology. Drug treatments
Placebos
Psychoanaleptics: cns stimulant, antidepressant agent, nootropic agent, mood stabilizer..., (alzheimer disease)
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopharmacology
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Summary:We investigated the effects of background anger, provocation, and methylphenidate on emotional, physiological, and behavioral responding in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with and without concurrent aggression. Our study revealed that ADHD boys showed more emotional and physiological distress when exposed to an interaction in which an administrator chastised each boy's favorite counselor, compared to a friendly interaction between the two adults. The background anger manipulation did not affect the aggressive behavior of the boys against an opponent in an aggressive game. High-aggressive (HA) ADHD boys were more likely to respond to provocation with aggression than low-aggressive (LA) ADHD boys, but only LA boys showed increased physiological reactivity with increasing provocation. Methylphenidate resulted in increased heart rates under all conditions and did not interact with any of the other findings.
ISSN:0091-0627
1573-2835
DOI:10.1007/BF00919086