An Exploratory Study of Emotional Dysregulaiton and Executive Functions Dimensions in Adolescents with Neurodevelopmental Disorders and/or Bipolar Spectrum Disorders

Emotional dysregulation (ED) is a multidimensional concept that involves several aspects, including emotional reactivity, impulsivity, and polarities of emotional states; whereas the collection of cogniti- ve skills that keeps goal-directed behavior on track are known as executive functions (EF). Several studies spe- culate whether ED and EF deficits may be shared risk factors, or common key features of several disorders, in- cluding attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and bipolar spectrum disorders (BSD). The association between these disor- ders, ED and/or EF deficits is one of the main reasons for misunderstandings in defining diagnostic boundari- es, leading to frequent misdiagnoses. Thus, our study aimed to investigate the ED and EF profiles in a clinical sample of adolescents to examine these dimensions and their correlation with the emotional profile in youths with ADHD, ASD, BSD, and/or comorbid condition.