Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and borderline intellectual disability children: cognitive, biological, and emotional correlates

Research project description

PhD will investigate the emotional, cognitive, and biological correlates of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and borderline intellectual disability, adopting a multi-informant and sex-dependent perspective. 

Children/adolescents with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and borderline intellectual disability represent a uniquely vulnerable population that remains insufficiently characterized. The proposed thesis aims to comprehensively study the emotional, cognitive, and biological correlates of these children, adopting a multi-informant and sex-dependent perspective. 

Within the Parc Taulí University Hospital in Sabadell (Barcelona), an established clinical cohort of these children has been characterized with respect to certain individual and familiar genetic markers. This proposal involves administering various questionnaires to measure conduct problems, encompassing reactive and proactive aggression, emotion regulation, empathy (both cognitive and affective), and early adversity variables such as parental practices and stress-related measures in parents. Through computerized tasks, evaluations will be conducted on risk-taking behaviors, emotion recognition, and executive functioning (including working memory, sustained attention, cognitive flexibility, and planning). 

Anticipated outcomes suggest that these children may exhibit greater impairments across multiple domains compared to children with only ADHD symptoms. Additionally, various moderators and mediators linked to oxytocin and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis functioning will be measured. This comprehensive approach aims to provide a nuanced understanding of this special population’s challenges and inspire the way for targeted interventions. 

The TOUCH predoc will receive training in psychometrics and neuropsychological assessment, clinical interviews, biochemical and advanced data analyses. Additional opportunities may arise for extending training through participation in other group projects. The candidate’s responsibilities will encompass conducting and analyzing data, drafting research papers, presenting results, mentoring undergraduates if needed, and active participation in group meetings. 

Academic background / Skills

Candidates must hold a degree that allows admission to the official doctoral programme at UAB.  

Additional requirements for a stronger application are: 

Essential Criteria: 

• MSc or equivalent in Clinical Psychology, Neurosciences or a related field. 
• Since the research involves working with children and caregivers, the candidate must be proficient in Spanish from the outset of the program. 
• Advanced in English at a minimum B2 level. 
• Interest in learning computational science methods. 
• Strong communication skills to effectively disseminate research results to diverse audiences. 
• Other skills: Ability to work in a team, critical thinking, and a commitment to diversity and inclusion. 

Desirable Criteria: 

• Experience in working with caregivers and children as participants. 
• Training or experience in conducting and analyzing Experimental and/or Clinical Psychology studies. 
• Theoretical background in Psychobiology. 
• Oral understanding of Catalan language. 

Research group/s description

The supervisors are part of CIBERSAM, a network of excellence focused on the prevention/treatment of mental disorders and part of the Neuroscience Translational Unit INc-Taulí.

Drs Nadal and Fuentes belong to the Neurobiology of stress and vulnerability to psychopathology Research Group-and are part of the Human Laboratory UAB. Dr Nadal is one of the co-PIs of the group that involves multidisciplinary researchers at the Institute of Neuroscience, the Dept of Psychobiology and Methodology and the Dept of Psychiatry and Legal Medicine. Their main strategic lines are: 1) Externalizing disorders and difficult temperamental traits in children/adolescents, 2) Biomarkers of vulnerability to developing these problems, including those related to stress mechanisms, and 3) Adaptation/standardization of instruments for the diagnosis/assessment of externalizing disorders.

Dr Pàmias is the head of the Children and Youth Mental Health Unit in Parc Taulí Hospital with experience in ADHD, autism, eating disorders, mood disorders, self-injuries and Community Psychiatry in children/adolescents.