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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2018 Jul 14.
Published in final edited form as: J Atten Disord. 2017 Feb 1;21(8):615–622. doi: 10.1177/1087054717692882

Table 1. Overview of Study Characteristics and Key Findings of Special Issue Articles, Ordered by Participant Mean Age.

Study Age Range (M±SD) N % Male Sample Type Country SCT Measure Key Findings
Lee et al., 2017 4–6 (5.13±0.79) 172 48% Community South Korea CADBI
  • 8 of 10 SCT symptoms demonstrated convergent and discriminant validity with ADHD-IN.

  • SCT remained associated with greater emotional reactivity, anxiety/depression, and withdrawal when controlling for ADHD-IN.

  • SCT no longer associated with externalizing behaviors (i.e., ADHD-HI, ODD, aggression) or sleep problems when controlling for ADHD-IN.

Camprodon-Rosanas et al., 2017 7–10 (8.40±0.81) 183 47% Community Spain CBCL
  • SCT symptoms higher in boys than girls and correlated with paternal unemployment, lower maternal education, greater socioeconomic adversity, maternal smoking during pregnancy, and current second-hand smoke exposure at home.

  • Children with elevated SCT (11%) had higher ADHD symptoms and more peer, emotional, and academic problems than children without elevated SCT.

  • When controlling for demographics and other symptoms, SCT remained associated with socioeconomic vulnerability, current second-hand smoke exposure, ADHD symptoms, peer problems, and dyslexia symptoms.

Garner et al., 2017 6–12 (8.43±1.86) 168 65% Clinical (92% diagnosed with ADHD) United States CBCL/TRF
  • SCT symptoms did not fit within a bifactor model of ADHD but instead loaded on a factor independent of ADHD ‘g’, with findings consistent across parent and teacher ratings.

  • The SCT factor was strongly positively associated with the ADHD-IN factor but negatively associated with the ADHD-HI factor.

Becker et al., 2017 6–12 (9.16±1.93) 570 73% Clinical (psychiatrically hospitalized) United States CBCL
  • Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) concentration was significantly correlated with SCT but not ADHD symptoms.

  • In regression analysis controlling for demographics, ADHD symptoms, and broadband internalizing and externalizing symptoms, TSH remained significantly associated with SCT.

Fenollar Cortés et al., 2017 6–16 (9.59±2.38) 131 72% Clinical (100% diagnosed with ADHD) Spain CADBI
  • Two-factor model of SCT: inconsistent alertness (e.g., daydreams) and slowness (e.g., thinking is slow) factors.

  • Controlling for ADHD-IN and SCT slowness, SCT inconsistent alertness was significantly associated with greater ADHD-HI symptoms and peer problems.

  • Controlling for ADHD-IN and SCT inconsistent alertness, SCT slowness was significantly associated with lower ADHD-HI symptoms and lower conduct problem symptoms, as well as greater depression and learning problems.

  • In regression analysis, ADHD-IN, but neither of the SCT factors, remained significantly associated with greater conduct problems, defiance/aggression, and anxiety.

Belmar et al., 2017 6–14 (9.64±1.77) 652 55% Community Chile CADBI
  • For both mother and teacher ratings, SCT had convergent and discriminant validity from ADHD-IN symptoms.

  • SCT had a uniquely stronger association than ADHD-IN with anxiety and depression, whereas ADHD-IN had a uniquely stronger association than SCT with ADHD-HI and ODD.

  • SCT was unassociated with academic and social impairment when controlling for ADHD-IN.

Jarrett et al., 2017 17–25 (18.82±1.08) 298 28% College students United States BAARS
  • Controlling for demographics, depression, sleep disturbances, and ADHD symptoms, SCT was significantly associated with poorer daily life EF.

  • In regression analyses, none of the sleep or psychopathology symptoms (i.e., SCT, ADHD, depression) variables were significantly associated with neuropsychological task performance.

  • 14.4% had elevated SCT (based on full screening sample of N=499).

Wood, Potts et al., 2017 17–46 (19.03±2.4) 253 49% College students United States BAARS
  • SCT significantly associated with self-reported difficulty on timed reading tasks but not speed on cognitive and academic tasks (after a Bonferroni correction was applied).

  • Between-group analyses indicated that students with elevated SCT (11%) had significantly more self-perceived problems on timed reading tasks than comparison students, with no group differences in actual performance speed (after applying a correction). Effect sizes showed a large group difference for self-perceived timed performance (d = 0.89), moderate group difference for reading fluency (d = 0.46), and small group difference for reading comprehension completion time (d = 0.28) and processing speed (d = 0.26).

Wood, Lewandowski et al., 2017 18–24 (19.91±1.59) 458 35% College students United States BAARS
  • Students with elevated SCT (13%), with or without elevated ADHD, had greater anxiety, depression, and overall functional impairment than controls or students with ADHD who did not have elevated SCT.

  • Controlling for depression, anxiety, and ADHD dimensions, SCT remained significantly associated with greater functional impairment, total daily life EF, and all five daily life EF subscales.

Leikauf & Solanto, 2017 18–64 (37.8±11.6) 102 (N=86 for EF regression analyses) 57% Clinical (100% diagnosed with ADHD) United States BAARS
  • SCT was associated with ADHD-IN and internalizing symptoms.

  • Adults with high SCT (53%) did not differ from other adults with ADHD in ADHD subtype, comorbid internalizing disorder diagnoses, sex, race/ethnicity, or marital status, though those with high SCT were younger and had fewer advanced educational degrees than other adults with ADHD.

  • Controlling for age, ADHD dimensions, and internalizing dimensions, SCT remained significantly associated with greater self-organization/problem-solving EF deficits and total EF deficits.

  • Supplemental analyses indicated that SCT was significantly associated with self-organization EF deficits only for adults with ADHD who were taking stimulant medication.

Note. ADHD = attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. ADHD-HI = ADHD hyperactive/impulsive symptoms. ADHD-IN = ADHD inattentive symptoms. BAARS = Barkley Adult ADHD Rating Scale. CADBI = Child and Adolescent Disruptive Behavior Inventory. CBCL = Child Behavior Checklist. EF = executive functioning. ODD = oppositional defiant disorder. SCT = sluggish cognitive tempo. TRF = Teacher’s Report Form.