Toward Establishing a Standard Symptom Set for Assessing Sluggish Cognitive Tempo in Children: Evidence From Teacher Ratings in a Community Sample

Becker, Stephen P.; Burns, G. Leonard; Schmitt, Aidan P.; Epstein, Jeffery N.; Tamm, Leanne

doi:10.1177/1073191117715732

Cited by 28 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 53 publications

(140 reference statements)

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“…Drawing from studies using these and other SCT measures, meta-analytic findings indicated 13 "constructs" to be optimal for defining the SCT construct -at least as separate from ADHD-IN (see Table 1) [5]. Subsequent studies have simultaneously tested these SCT optimal items and it appears that the field is narrowing in on a standard set of SCT symptoms that can be used across studies [11,29,30].…”

Section: Key Considerations For Examining Sct Within the Dsm Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advancing the study of sluggish cognitive tempo via DSM, RDoC, and hierarchical models of psychopathology

Becker

Willcutt

2018

Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry

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Sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) is separable from attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other psychopathologies, and growing evidence demonstrates SCT to be associated with impairment in both children and adults. However, it remains unclear how SCT should optimally be conceptualized. In this article, we argue that multiple models of psychopathology should be leveraged to make substantive advances to our understanding of SCT. Both categorical and dimensional approaches should be used, including the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) nosology, the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) initiative, and hierarchical models of psychopathology. Studies are needed to determine whether individuals categorized with SCT can be reliably identified and differentiated from individuals without SCT in pathophysiological, neuropsychological, behavioral, and daily life functioning. Studies are also needed to evaluate the validity and utility of SCT as a transdiagnostic and dimensional construct. In considering SCT as a dimensional and potentially transdiagnostic construct, we describe ways in which SCT might be examined within the RDoC framework, including negative valence systems, cognitive systems, and arousal/regulatory systems, as well as within hierarchical models of psychopathology. Conceptualizing SCT within both categorical and dimensional models of psychopathology will help to better understand the causes, developmental pathways, and clinical implications of SCT, both as a construct in its own right and also in relation to other psychopathologies.

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Section: Key Considerations For Examining Sct Within the Dsm Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advancing the study of sluggish cognitive tempo via DSM, RDoC, and hierarchical models of psychopathology

Becker

Willcutt

2018

Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry

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“…Our psychometric analyses showed that two distinct factors underlie the 10-item Attention Problems Scale, one tapping into the typical ADHD symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity and the second into behavior that we may qualify as SCT (Hartman et al, 2004;Lee et al, 2016;Becker et al, 2017;Garner et al, 2017). The distinct nature of the SCT factor was further supported by the low correlation with the factor comprising typical ADHD symptoms.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

“…Moreover, based on the results of the PCA, the symptoms violated the assumption of unidimensionality/homogeneity, and one symptom (put symptom here) was performing very poorly. The finding of multidimensionality is not surprising, because items CBCL13, CBCL17, and CBCL80 are part of a set of symptoms that is often used to assess SCT (Becker et al, 2017). Figure 2 shows the graphical displays of the three IRT models fitted to the data in the clinical cohort at T1.…”

Section: Irt Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since 2000, the bifactor model of ADHD has received vast support, with ADHD as a general factor and specific factors for inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity (e.g., Caci, Morin, & Tran, 2016). More recently, there has been considerable interest in whether sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT), a construct comprising symptoms such as daydreaming, confusion, and apathy (e.g., Becker, Burns, Schmitt, Epstein, & Tamm, 2017;Hartman, Willcutt, Rhee, & Pennington, 2004) is a dimension of ADHD or a separate psychopathology. Lee, Burns, Beauchaine, and Becker (2016) and Garner et al (2017) found support, through bifactor modeling, for SCT as a distinct construct, although strongly and positively correlated with inattention.…”

Section: Using Sum Scores To Assess Ap Severitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Practical Consequences of Model Misfit When Using Rating Scales to Assess the Severity Of Attention Problems in Children

Crișan¹,

Tendeiro²,

Wanders³

et al. 2019

Preprint

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In this study we examined the consequences of ignoring violations of assumptions un-derlying the use of sum scores in assessing attention problems (AP), and if psychomet-rically more refined models improve predictions of relevant outcomes in adulthood. Tracking Adolescents’ Individual Lives data were used. AP symptom properties were examined using the AP scale of the Child Behavior Checklist at age 11. Consequences of model violations were evaluated in relation to psychopathology, educational attain-ment, financial status, and ability to form relationships in adulthood. Results showed that symptoms differed with respect to information and difficulty. Moreover, evidence of multidimensionality was found, with two groups of items measuring sluggish cogni-tive tempo and ADHD symptoms. Item response theory analyses indicated that a bifac-tor model fitted these data better than other competing models. In terms of accuracy of predicting functional outcomes, sum scores were robust against violations of assump-tions in some situations. Nevertheless, AP scores derived from the bifactor model showed some superiority over sum scores. These findings show that more accurate predictions of later-life difficulties can be made if one uses a more suitable psychomet-ric model to assess AP severity in children. This has important implications for research and clinical practice.

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“…It is estimated that 75% of students with high levels of SCT are perceived by their teachers as impaired in the peer domain (Becker, 2014). There is not yet consensus as to whether SCT is best defined as a unidimensional or multidimensional construct (Becker, Burns, Schmitt, Epstein, & Tamm, 2017; Becker, Luebbe, & Joyce, 2015; Fenollar Cortés, Servera, Becker, & Burns, 2017; Smith & Langberg, 2017). However, studies using either unidimensional or multidimensional measures of SCT have demonstrated relations with social difficulties.…”

Section: Sct and Children’s Social Functioningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sluggish cognitive tempo and student–teacher relationship quality: Short-term longitudinal and concurrent associations.

Holdaway¹,

Becker²

2018

School Psychology Quarterly

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Although sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) is associated with poorer peer functioning, no study has examined SCT in relation to student-teacher relationship quality. The current study examined whether SCT, as rated by both teachers and children, was uniquely associated with poorer student-teacher relationship quality above and beyond child demographics and other mental health symptoms (i.e., attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ADHD], oppositional defiant disorder/conduct disorder [ODD/CD], anxiety/depression). Gender was examined as a possible moderator of the association between SCT and student-teacher relationship quality. Participants were 176 children in 1st-6th grades and their teachers. Teachers rated children's SCT and other mental health symptoms in the fall semester (T1) and the student-teacher relationship (conflict and closeness) 6 months later (T2). Children provided self-ratings of SCT at T2. Above and beyond age, gender, and other mental health symptoms, teacher-rated SCT at T1 was associated with greater student-teacher conflict at T2. This association was qualified by a SCT × Gender interaction, with SCT associated with greater conflict for girls but not boys. Further, child-rated SCT was also associated with greater teacher-rated conflict, above and beyond covariates. In addition, teacher-rated SCT at T1 was the only mental health dimension to be significantly associated with less student-teacher closeness at T2. Findings extend the social difficulties associated with SCT to the student-teacher relationship, an important relationship associated with children's academic and socioemotional outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

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Toward Establishing a Standard Symptom Set for Assessing Sluggish Cognitive Tempo in Children: Evidence From Teacher Ratings in a Community Sample

Cited by 28 publications

References 53 publications

Advancing the study of sluggish cognitive tempo via DSM, RDoC, and hierarchical models of psychopathology

Advancing the study of sluggish cognitive tempo via DSM, RDoC, and hierarchical models of psychopathology

Practical Consequences of Model Misfit When Using Rating Scales to Assess the Severity Of Attention Problems in Children

Sluggish cognitive tempo and student–teacher relationship quality: Short-term longitudinal and concurrent associations.

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