Sex differences in risk-based decision making in adolescents with conduct disorder
Sex differences in risk-based decision making in adolescents with conduct disorder
Altered decision making processes and excessive risk-seeking behaviours are key features of conduct disorder (CD). Previous studies have provided compelling evidence of abnormally increased preference for risky options, higher sensitivity to rewards, as well as blunted responsiveness to aversive outcomes in adolescents with CD. However, most studies published to date have focused on males only; thus, it is not known whether females with CD show similar alterations in decision making. The current study investigated potential sex differences in decision making and risk-seeking behaviours in adolescents with CD. Forty-nine adolescents with CD (23 females) and 51 control subjects (27 females), aged 11-18 years, performed a computerised task assessing decision making under risk—the Risky Choice Task. Participants made a series of decisions between two gamble options that varied in terms of their expected values and probability of gains and losses. This enabled the participants’ risk preferences to be determined. Taking the sample as a whole, adolescents with CD exhibited increased risk-seeking behaviours compared to healthy controls. However, we found a trend towards a sex-by-group interaction, suggesting that these effects may vary by sex. Follow-up analyses showed that males with CD made significantly more risky choices than their typically developing counterparts, while females with CD did not differ from typically developing females in their risk-seeking behaviours. Our results provide preliminary evidence that sex may moderate the relationship between CD and alterations in risk attitudes and reward processing, indicating that there may be sex differences in the developmental pathways and neuropsychological deficits that lead to CD.
Antisocial behaviour, Conduct disorder, Decision making, Reward, Risk, Sex differences
1133-1142
Sidlauskaite, Justina
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González-Madruga, Karen
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Smaragdi, Areti
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Riccelli, Roberta
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Puzzo, Ignazio
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Batchelor, Molly
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Cornwell, Harriet
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Clark, Luke
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Sonuga-Barke, Edmund J.S.
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Fairchild, Graeme
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1 September 2018
Sidlauskaite, Justina
d23d77bb-7bae-4b01-99e2-8c63e5e7d0cf
González-Madruga, Karen
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Smaragdi, Areti
b090586a-a5c3-4ec0-b05e-167a5a0f4543
Riccelli, Roberta
17dc2394-bc7c-4480-9cdf-e21a7a503061
Puzzo, Ignazio
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Batchelor, Molly
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Cornwell, Harriet
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Clark, Luke
d0d03564-0462-4056-ab19-b511acc1321b
Sonuga-Barke, Edmund J.S.
bc80bf95-6cf9-4c76-a09d-eaaf0b717635
Fairchild, Graeme
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Sidlauskaite, Justina, González-Madruga, Karen, Smaragdi, Areti, Riccelli, Roberta, Puzzo, Ignazio, Batchelor, Molly, Cornwell, Harriet, Clark, Luke, Sonuga-Barke, Edmund J.S. and Fairchild, Graeme
(2018)
Sex differences in risk-based decision making in adolescents with conduct disorder.
European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 27 (9), .
(doi:10.1007/s00787-017-1024-9).
Abstract
Altered decision making processes and excessive risk-seeking behaviours are key features of conduct disorder (CD). Previous studies have provided compelling evidence of abnormally increased preference for risky options, higher sensitivity to rewards, as well as blunted responsiveness to aversive outcomes in adolescents with CD. However, most studies published to date have focused on males only; thus, it is not known whether females with CD show similar alterations in decision making. The current study investigated potential sex differences in decision making and risk-seeking behaviours in adolescents with CD. Forty-nine adolescents with CD (23 females) and 51 control subjects (27 females), aged 11-18 years, performed a computerised task assessing decision making under risk—the Risky Choice Task. Participants made a series of decisions between two gamble options that varied in terms of their expected values and probability of gains and losses. This enabled the participants’ risk preferences to be determined. Taking the sample as a whole, adolescents with CD exhibited increased risk-seeking behaviours compared to healthy controls. However, we found a trend towards a sex-by-group interaction, suggesting that these effects may vary by sex. Follow-up analyses showed that males with CD made significantly more risky choices than their typically developing counterparts, while females with CD did not differ from typically developing females in their risk-seeking behaviours. Our results provide preliminary evidence that sex may moderate the relationship between CD and alterations in risk attitudes and reward processing, indicating that there may be sex differences in the developmental pathways and neuropsychological deficits that lead to CD.
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Sidlauskaite2018_Article_SexDifferencesInRisk-basedDeci
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More information
Accepted/In Press date: 29 June 2017
e-pub ahead of print date: 7 July 2017
Published date: 1 September 2018
Keywords:
Antisocial behaviour, Conduct disorder, Decision making, Reward, Risk, Sex differences
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 423548
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/423548
ISSN: 1018-8827
PURE UUID: eca527a0-5082-467f-8cd0-8b7a9c5a9176
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Date deposited: 26 Sep 2018 16:30
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 21:50
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Contributors
Author:
Justina Sidlauskaite
Author:
Karen González-Madruga
Author:
Areti Smaragdi
Author:
Roberta Riccelli
Author:
Ignazio Puzzo
Author:
Molly Batchelor
Author:
Harriet Cornwell
Author:
Luke Clark
Author:
Edmund J.S. Sonuga-Barke
Author:
Graeme Fairchild
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