Longitudinal Correlates of Sluggish Cognitive Tempo and ADHD-Inattention Symptom Dimensions with Spanish Children

Abstract

The objective was to examine the longitudinal correlates of sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-Inattention (IN) dimensions with mothers' and fathers' ratings of Spanish children. Mothers and fathers rated SCT, ADHD-IN, ADHD-hyperactivity/impulsivity (HI), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), depression, academic impairment, and social impairment on 3 occasions (twice in first-grade year [6-week separation] and once in the second-grade year [12 months after the first assessment]) in Spanish children (758, 746, and 718 children at the 3 time-points with approximately 55% boys). The results showed that (a) higher levels of SCT from earlier assessments predicted higher levels of depression, academic impairment, and social impairment at Assessment 3 after controlling for ADHD-IN at earlier assessments; (b) higher levels of ADHD-IN from earlier assessments predicted higher levels of depression, academic impairment, and social impairment at Assessment 3 after controlling for SCT at earlier assessments; (c) higher levels of ADHD-IN from earlier assessments predicted higher levels of ADHD-HI and ODD at Assessment 3 after controlling for SCT from earlier assessments; and (d) higher levels of SCT from earlier assessments either showed no unique relationship with ADHD-HI and ODD or predicted lower levels of ADHD-HI and ODD at Assessment 3 after controlling for ADHD-IN from earlier assessments. Initial evidence is provided of SCT's unique longitudinal relationships with depression and academic/social impairment and different longitudinal relationships with ADHD-HI and ODD relative to ADHD-IN, thus adding to a growing body of research underscoring the importance of SCT as distinct from ADHD-IN.

Sluggish Cognitive Tempo and ADHD Inattention as Predictors of Externalizing, Internalizing, and Impairment Domains: A 2-Year Longitudinal Study

“…Still, mixed findings have been reported. For instance, several studies have not found SCT to be associated with academic difficulties after controlling for ADHD symptoms (e.g., Bauermeister et al 2012;Becker and Langberg 2013;Carlson and Mann 2002), whereas other studies have found SCT to remain associated with poorer academic functioning after controlling for ADHD (e.g., Becker et al 2014b;Bernad et al 2014;Burns et al 2013;Langberg et al 2014;Lee et al 2014;Servera et al 2015;Willcutt et al 2014). Interestingly, findings from one recent study suggest that SCT may relate to impairment according to parent ratings but not according to teacher ratings (Watabe et al 2014).…”

“…Although an agreed-upon symptom set for SCT remains to be established (Becker 2013), research increasingly indicates that SCT and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder inattention (ADHD-IN) symptoms represent different dimensions of psychopathology (Barkley 2013;Becker et al 2014b;Bernad et al 2014;Burns et al 2013;Fenollar Cortés et al 2014;Garner et al 2014;Lee et al 2014;McBurnett et al 2014;Penny et al 2009). It is also evident that SCT is distinct from internalizing symptoms of anxiety and depression (Becker et al 2014d;Lee et al 2014;Servera et al 2015;Willcutt et al 2014). Moreover, although it remains unclear whether or not SCT is uniquely associated with processing speed (Bauermeister et al 2012;Willcutt et al 2014), it is important to note that SCT is either unassociated with intelligence (Becker and Langberg 2013;Skirbekk et al 2011) or may even be associated with higher levels of intelligence in children with ADHD (Marshall et al 2014).…”

“…Several studies show that higher levels of SCT are associated with lower levels of ADHD-hyperactivity/impulsivity (HI) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) symptoms after controlling for ADHD-IN, whereas higher levels of ADHD-IN predict higher levels of ADHD-HI and ODD symptoms after controlling for SCT (Becker et al 2014c, d;Bernad et al 2014;Burns et al 2013;Fenollar Cortés et al 2014;Lee et al 2014;McBurnett et al 2014;Penny et al 2009;Servera et al 2015). In addition, multiple studies using parent, teacher, and child self-report ratings of SCT show SCT symptoms are associated with higher levels of depression, academic impairment, and social impairment even after controlling for ADHD-IN (Bauermeister et al 2012;Becker 2014;Becker et al 2014cBecker et al , d, 2015Bernad et al 2014;Burns et al 2013;Fenollar Cortés et al 2014;Flannery et al 2014;Langberg et al 2014;Lee et al 2014;McBurnett et al 2014;Penny et al 2009;Servera et al 2015;Willcutt et al 2014). Still, mixed findings have been reported.…”

“…This study did not include any measures of anxiety or social impairment (Bernad et al 2014). The third study used the same sample from the Bernad et al (2014) study but examined mothers' and fathers' ratings with a 12-month interval separating the measures of SCT and ADHD-IN from the outcomes (first to second grade; Servera et al 2015). The authors found that higher levels of SCT from first grade predicted higher levels of depression, academic impairment, and social impairment in the second grade after controlling for ADHD-IN (no measure of anxiety was collected).…”

“…The current study sought to expand these initial results in four ways. First, we sought to replicate the 1-year longitudinal associations found from first to second grades (Bernad et al 2014;Servera et al 2015) by examining the 1-year associations from second to third grades. Second, we wanted to extend the longitudinal time frame by evaluating whether SCT is associated with other psychopathology symptoms and impairments over a 2-year period (first to third grades).…”