Oppositional Defiant Disorder dimensions and aggression: The moderating role of hostile bias and sex.

BACKGROUND: Hostile Attributional Bias (HAB) has been related to conduct problems. The common and unique associations between the different dimensions of Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) symptoms, specific components of HAB, sex and types of aggression (overt and relational) in a community sample of 491 7-year-old children are investigated.

METHOD: Teachers rated the children's ODD symptoms and aggression and the children self-reported about HAB. Multiple linear regressions showed that ODD dimensions were directly associated with both types of aggression.

RESULTS: Boys were more overtly aggressive and girls more relational. Emotional distress was directly associated with relational aggression. The relational component of HAB uniquely moderated the influence of the oppositional dimension on relational aggressive behaviour.

CONCLUSIONS: The assessment of social cognition variables is necessary to approach specific interventions in the presence of ODD symptoms, as this may help to identify a subset of children prone to aggressive reactions.