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Effort valuation and psychopathology in children and adults

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 January 2019

Nicholas H. Nguyen
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, State University of New York – Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, USA
Avery B. Albert
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, State University of New York – Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, USA Department of Psychology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA
Sarah Van Orman
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, State University of New York – Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, USA
Patricia Forken
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, State University of New York – Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, USA
Steven D. Blatt
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, State University of New York – Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, USA
Wanda P. Fremont
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, State University of New York – Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, USA
Stephen V. Faraone
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, State University of New York – Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, USA
Stephen J. Glatt*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, State University of New York – Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, USA
*
Author for correspondence: Stephen J. Glatt, E-mail: stephen.glatt@psychgenelab.com

Abstract

Background

The Research Domain Criteria initiative was launched by the US National Institute of Mental Health to establish a multi-level framework for understanding psychological constructs relevant to human psychiatric disorders, and identified ‘effort valuation/willingness to work’ as a clinically useful construct worthy of further study. This construct encompasses the processes by which the cost(s) of obtaining an outcome are calculated, and the tendency to overcome response costs to obtain a reinforcer. The current study aims to examine effort valuation as a correlate of psychopathology in children and adults, and the moderating effects of sex on this relationship.

Methods

Participants were 1215 children aged 6–12 and their parents (n = 1044). All participants completed the Effort Expenditure for Rewards Task as a measure of effort expenditure. Child psychopathology was measured via the Child Behavior Checklist, while adult psychopathology was measured via the Adult Self Report. Additionally, the Social Adjustment Inventory for Children and Adolescents and Injury Behavior Checklist were used to examine child social impairments/problem behaviors.

Results

In children, significant interactions between reward sensitivity and sex were observed in association with anxiety and thought problems, specifically at low reward sensitivity levels. In adults, main effects of effort expenditure were seen in drug and alcohol abuse, where higher effort was associated with higher degrees of abuse.

Conclusions

These results establish effort valuation as a relevant psychological construct for understanding psychopathology, but with different profiles of associated psychopathology across sex in children and adults.

Type
Original Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019 

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Footnotes

*

These authors contributed equally to this work.

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