Correlates of Sluggish Cognitive Tempo Among Clinic-Referred Youth: Expanding Awareness of Somatic Symptoms and Stress in the Clinical Picture

Relationship between sluggish cognitive tempo and sleep, psychological, somatic, and cognitive problems and impairment in children with autism and children with ADHD

“…Some publications reporting a significant relationship between SCT and internalizing symptoms included somatic complaints in the internalizing symptoms composite score, but most did not analyze somatic symptoms separately. An exception was an investigation demonstrating a significant association between maternal ratings of SCT and somatic problems in 122 pediatric patients (Callan et al, 2020)…”

“…Some publications reporting a significant relationship between SCT and internalizing symptoms included somatic complaints in the internalizing symptoms composite score, but most did not analyze somatic symptoms separately. An exception was an investigation demonstrating a significant association between maternal ratings of SCT and somatic problems in 122 pediatric patients (Callan et al, 2020) Studies examining cognitive problems and SCT are few and sometimes yield contradictory results. According to a review by Becker et al (2018), findings regarding the relationship between SCT and academic functioning, achievement test scores, working memory, processing speed, and neuropsychological test scores are inconsistent.…”

Sluggish cognitive tempo: Association with neuropsychological test scores, motor incoordination, and dysgraphia in elementary school children

“…Processing speed has received the most research attention. Five studies (Callan et al, 2020; Creque & Willcutt, 2021; Jacobson et al, 2018; Tamm et al, 2018; Willcutt et al, 2014) reported that SCT was significantly associated with slower processing or performance speed (correlations across the studies .18–.39), but six other studies found a nonsignificant relationship between SCT and processing or performance speed (Bauermeister et al, 2012; Baytunca et al, 2018; Kofler et al, 2019; Reinvall et al, 2017; Willard et al, 2013; Wood et al, 2017). These findings are surprising given what is implied by the term “sluggish cognitive tempo.” Slower reaction time, another possibly presumed correlate of SCT, was not associated with SCT in three studies (Baytunca et al, 2018; Creque & Willcutt, 2021; Skirbeck et al, 2011), but was in another study (Camprodon-Rosanas et al, 2020) with a small correlation (.21).…”

“…SCT is strongly linked with ADHD-Inattentive symptoms (Callan et al, 2020; Dvorsky et al, 2019; Hartman et al, 2004; Saez et al, 2019; Willcutt et al, 2014), but not with hyperactivity-impulsivity or oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder (CD) (Becker et al, 2016b, 2018; Burns & Becker, 2019; Lee et al, 2014; Mayes et al, 2021a, 2021b; Penny et al, 2009; Saez et al, 2019; Willcutt et al, 2014). SCT is strongly related to depression and less so to anxiety (Barkley, 2013; Burns & Becker, 2019; Callan et al, 2020; Garner et al, 2011; Hartman et al, 2004; Mayes et al, 2021a, 2021b; Saez et al, 2019; Smith et al, 2020; Willcutt et al, 2014). SCT is common in autism and in ADHD and is reported in approximately one-third of children with either diagnosis (Barkley, 2013; Burns & Becker, 2019; Duncan et al, 2019; Mayes et al, 2020; Reinvall et al, 2017; Servera et al, 2018).…”