Examining the Role of Attention Deficits in the Social Problems and Withdrawn Behavior of Children With Sluggish Cognitive Tempo Symptoms.

Trevor W K Yung,Cynthia Y Y Lai,Chetwyn C H Chan,Shamay S M Ng,Jacob Y C Chan

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.585589

Abstract

Previous studies have found that sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) symptoms are often associated with social problems and withdrawn behavior. However, the possible neuropsychological mechanism underlying this relationship remains unclear. Some studies have also found that SCT symptoms are related to deficits in sustained attention and selective attention. However, no study has examined whether attention deficits are related to social problems and withdrawn behavior in children with SCT. This study was the first to examine the neuropsychological correlates of social problems and withdrawn behavior among children with SCT symptoms. The results showed that sustained attention measure (omission) predicted the severity of social problems and withdrawn behavior in children with SCT even after controlling for symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Selective attention measure (response latency mean) was also found to predict the severity of social problems. These results suggest that the social problems commonly exhibited by children with SCT are related to deficits in sustained attention and attentional control. Thus, our results provide an initial support to the link between attention deficits and social problems among children with SCT.

Highlights

Sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) is an attention problem characterized by a cluster of symptoms including difficulties in sustained alertness and slowness in thoughts and actions [1,2,3]
After Bonferroni correction (p = 0.05/8 = 0.00625), the high SCT group showed significantly higher scores than the control group on the Withdrawn subscale, F(1, 82) = 16.829, p < 0.006; partial eta squared = 0.170, the Anxious/Depressed subscale, F(1, 82) = 10.709, p < 0.006; partial eta squared = 0.116, the Social Problems subscale, F(1, 82) = 18.166, p < 0.006; partial eta squared = 0.181, and the Attention Problems subscale, F(1, 82) = 14.564, p = 0.006; partial eta squared = 0.151. These results suggest that the high SCT group had more withdrawn behavior, anxiety/depression, and attention and social problems than did the control group
The results demonstrated that sustained attention, as measured by the CCPT omission errors, was a significant variable to explain social problems and withdrawn behavior in children with high SCT symptoms after controlling for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms

Summary

Introduction

Sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) is an attention problem characterized by a cluster of symptoms including difficulties in sustained alertness (e.g., daydreaming) and slowness in thoughts and actions (e.g., drowsiness and delayed responsiveness) [1,2,3]. These symptoms, which manifest in both children and adults, are often associated with impairments in daily functioning, such as emotional difficulties (e.g., anxiety and depression), social problems, and academic learning difficulties [1, 4]. Many previous studies have found associations between social problems and SCT symptoms after controlling for the influence of ADHD symptoms on the severity of social problems [10,11,12,13]

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