Sluggish cognitive tempo and processing speed in adolescents with ADHD: do findings vary based on informant and task?
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ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTION
Sluggish cognitive tempo and processing speed in adolescents with ADHD: do findings vary based on informant and task? Stephen P. Becker1,2 · Nicholas P. Marsh1 · Alex S. Holdaway3 · Leanne Tamm1,2 Received: 5 June 2019 / Accepted: 19 November 2019 © Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2019
Abstract Few studies have examined whether behavioral sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) symptoms are related to speeded task performance. Mixed findings in existing research could be due to previous studies using a broad conceptualization of processing speed, not including self-report of SCT symptoms, and relying on non-optimal measures of SCT. Using a multiinformant design with both parent- and adolescent-reported SCT symptoms, the present study provides a preliminary test of the hypothesis that SCT symptoms would be associated with slower performance on tasks having greater graphomotor and fine motor demands. Participants were 80 adolescents (ages 13–17 years; 71% male) with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Adolescents and parents completed ratings of SCT. Adolescents were administered the Wechsler Symbol Search and Coding subtests and the Grooved Pegboard Test. When adjusting for age, sex, and ADHD symptom severity, parent-reported SCT symptoms were not significantly associated with Symbol Search or Coding scores but were significantly associated with slower Grooved Pegboard time. Adolescent-reported SCT symptoms were not significantly associated with Symbol Search but were significantly associated with lower Coding scores and slower Grooved Pegboard time. Findings provide preliminary support for the hypothesis that SCT may be more clearly associated with processing speed task performance as motor demands increase and provide a potential explanation for the mixed literature on SCT in relation to processing speed by demonstrating that the presence and magnitude of associations vary by informant and task. Keywords Adolescence · Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder · Graphomotor · Motor speed · Neurocognition · Sluggish cognitive tempo
Introduction Sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT), characterized by behavioral symptoms that include excessive daydreaming, mental confusion and fogginess, lethargy, and slowed behavior/ thinking, are distinct from, yet related to, symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) [1]. Approximately 25–40% of children with ADHD have elevated SCT symptoms [2–5]. In addition, a growing body of research has * Stephen P. Becker [email protected] 1
Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45229‑3039, USA
2
Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
3
Roberts Center for Pediatric Research, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
found SCT symptoms to be associated with poorer adjustment in youth diagnosed with ADHD, including increased internalizing
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