Prospective memory (partially) mediates the link between ADHD symptoms and procrastination

Mareike Altgassen,Marc-Andreas Edel,Anouk Scheres

doi:10.1007/s12402-018-0273-x

Abstract

Individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often show poor planning and poor organization of tasks and activities which has been related to reduced memory for delayed intentions (prospective memory) and procrastination—in addition to other cognitive or motivational factors. This study set out to bring the fields of prospective memory and procrastination research together and to explore possible relations between the two constructs in ADHD. Twenty-nine adults with ADHD and 24 healthy controls performed several laboratory-based and real-life prospective memory tasks and filled in questionnaires measuring their symptom severity and procrastination behaviour. Overall, individuals’ with ADHD showed clear deficits in everyday prospective memory performance. Individuals with ADHD recalled and executed less of their own real-life intentions. Moreover, there were clear links between everyday prospective memory performance and reported procrastination behaviour, and everyday prospective memory performance mediated the link between ADHD symptoms and procrastination behaviour.

Highlights

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterized by three core symptoms: inattention, impulsivity and motor restlessness (APA 2000, 2013; WHO 2006)
Individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) reported to procrastinate more than controls (η2p = .71)
In terms of future orientation, the ADHD group reported to plan ahead less (η2p = .11) and to anticipate consequences less than the control group (η2p = .10); groups did not differ in their time perspective and the total score only tended towards significance

Summary

Introduction

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterized by three core symptoms: inattention, impulsivity and motor restlessness (APA 2000, 2013; WHO 2006). Impulsive decision making, low frustration tolerance, difficulties with time management (e.g. being late, having a reduced sense of time), self-management and self-motivation, and as relatively poor planning and poor organization of tasks and activities (e.g. tasks being forgotten or not completed, APA 2000; Barkley 2010; Barkley and Fischer 2011; Barkley and Murphy 2011; see Solanto 2011, for a cognitive-behavioural intervention targeting executive dysfunctions in ADHD). These latter difficulties may be related to deficits in prospective memory (PM, Mackinlay et al 2006). In terms of underlying cognitive processes, mainly executive functions and (retrospective) memory processes are involved in prospective remembering (Kliegel et al 2011)

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