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The Relationship between Reciprocal Social Impairments and Psychopathology in Children with Intellectual Disability

Kaat, Aaron J.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1312985259

Abstract Details

2011, Master of Arts, Ohio State University, Psychology.
Reciprocal Social Impairments (RSI) are deficits in social skills consistent with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). RSI are diagnostically relevant to ASD, but also occur throughout the population, including among those with intellectual disability (ID). Both ID and ASD are associated with increased symptoms of psychopathology. This study’s objective was to investigate whether increased RSI among those with mild or moderate ID were related to increased symptom severity of other forms of psychopathology (specifically, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder [ADHD], Oppositional Defiant Disorder [ODD], Anxiety Disorders, and Depressive Disorders, as measured by the Child Symptom Inventory-4 [CSI-4]). An exploratory objective of this study was to assess the association between the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) scores and social skills measured by the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System-II (ABAS-II) and psychopathology. Three hundred twelve packets were distributed to area school districts or directly to parents of eligible children in response to flyers. Sixty-seven were returned, for a response rate of 21%. However, only 37 children (28 boys and 9 girls, mean age of 11.7 years) met eligibility requirements and had usable data on all rating scales. Results from the hierarchical multiple regression indicated that RSI were unrelated to ODD, Anxiety, and Depressive Disorders. However, increased RSI were associated with increased severity of ADHD symptoms, after controlling for adaptive behavior and previous diagnoses of ADHD and/or ASD (β = 0.45, p = .028). Consistent with previous research, the SRS subscales showed moderate correlations with the ABAS-II (range -.30 to -.61). Using multiple regression, the SRS subscales were unrelated to ODD, Anxiety, and Depressive Disorders, similar to the total score. The subscales were associated with increased ADHD symptom severity (R2 = .55, p < .001), with Autistic Mannerisms as the only significant predictor (b-weight = 0.59, p < .001). The study found that increased RSI were related to increased ADHD symptom severity, but not to symptoms of ODD, Anxiety, and Depressive Disorders. One possible explanation of these results is that social competence is so much lower for individuals with ID that any increase in RSI is no more impairing. Future research on the construct of RSI and its relationship to social competence and psychopathology is warranted, especially since the results of this study differed from previous studies among those without ID.
Luc Lecavalier, PhD (Committee Chair)
Marc Tasse, PhD (Committee Member)
Michael Aman, PhD (Committee Member)
Psychology
intellectual disability; social skills; Social Responsiveness Scale

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Kaat, A. J. (2011). The Relationship between Reciprocal Social Impairments and Psychopathology in Children with Intellectual Disability [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1312985259

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Kaat, Aaron. The Relationship between Reciprocal Social Impairments and Psychopathology in Children with Intellectual Disability. 2011. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1312985259.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Kaat, Aaron. "The Relationship between Reciprocal Social Impairments and Psychopathology in Children with Intellectual Disability." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1312985259

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.