Comorbid Psychiatric Symptom Associated With Oppositional Defiant Symptom in Community School-Age Children.

Objectives: Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is often comorbid with other psychiatric disorders in childhood. This study aimed to investigate comorbid psychiatric symptoms and associated factors in elementary school children with symptoms of ODD.

Methods: The participants consisted of 205 mother-offspring pairs. Psychiatric symptoms were measured using the Diagnostic Predictive Scales and Korean Child Behavior Checklist. Psychiatric comorbid symptoms were compared between children with ODD symptom and those without ODD symptom. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the odds ratio of psychiatric symptom on ODD.

Results: ODD group had a significant association with internalizing and externalizing problem (p=0.001, p<0.001, respectively). ODD group were more comorbid with anxiety disorder, depressive disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and conduct disorder. Among psychiatric disorder, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=18.620, p<0.001) and conduct disorder (AOR=9.529, p=0.014) were associated with ODD symptom.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that children with ODD symptom had significantly higher rates of comorbid psychiatric symptoms. And GAD and conduct disorder are related to ODD symptom.