{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,16]],"date-time":"2026-01-16T00:29:52Z","timestamp":1768523392483,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,11]],"date-time":"2025-09-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1757548800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Children"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Executive functions (EFs) play a fundamental role in children\u2019s cognitive and emotional regulation and have been identified as key transdiagnostic predictors of psychopathology. Children with Special Educational Needs (SENs) are particularly vulnerable to difficulties with EFs and emotional\u2013behavioural adjustment. This study aimed to examine the differences in the psychopathological symptoms between pupils with and without SENs and to explore the predictive ability of dimensions of EFs for psychopathology detection in both school and family contexts. Methods: A total of 123 primary school children (aged 6\u201312 years) participated in the study. Their psychopathology was assessed using the SPECI questionnaire completed by their teachers, while their EFs were measured using the BRIEF-2 from school and family perspectives. The analyses included mean difference tests and a backward stepwise multiple regression using the predictors that showed significant Pearson\u2019s correlations with the psychopathological dimensions. Results: The students with SENs showed significantly higher levels of psychopathological symptoms, particularly in their attention, anxiety, and clinical global scores. The regression models revealed that several dimensions of EFs, such as inhibition, planning, task monitoring, and cognitive regulation, significantly predicted internalising, externalising, and total symptoms. The school-based models demonstrated greater explanatory power compared to the family-based models, suggesting that school contexts may be more sensitive for detecting EF-related difficulties. Conclusions: The results underline the transdiagnostic relevance of EFs in child psychopathology and support their integration into early detection and intervention strategies, especially in educational contexts. Strengthening the assessment of EFs in schools could contribute to a more accurate identification of at-risk pupils and inform targeted support for children with SENs.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/children12091217","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,11]],"date-time":"2025-09-11T07:51:46Z","timestamp":1757577106000},"page":"1217","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Executive Functions and Child Psychopathology: Contextual Differences and Predictors for Detection and Psychoeducational Intervention"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Juan Manuel","family":"N\u00fa\u00f1ez","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Psychology and Speech Therapy, Universitat de Val\u00e8ncia, 46010 Valencia, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2036-2039","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ana","family":"Soto-Rubio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Developmental and Education Psychology, Universitat de Val\u00e8ncia, 46010 Valencia, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3532-8818","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mari\u00e1n","family":"P\u00e9rez-Mar\u00edn","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatments, Universitat de Val\u00e8ncia, 46010 Valencia, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"431","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-clinpsy-072319-024242","article-title":"Executive function and psychopathology: A neurodevelopmental perspective","volume":"16","author":"Zelazo","year":"2020","journal-title":"Annu. 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