Sluggish Cognitive Tempo Symptoms, But Not ADHD or Internalizing Symptoms, Are Uniquely Related to Self-Reported Mind-Wandering in Adolescents With ADHD

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to test the relation between sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) symptoms and self-reported mind-wandering in a sample of adolescents with ADHD. Method: Adolescents (N = 79; aged 13–17 years; 70% male) diagnosed with ADHD completed measures of SCT, ADHD, anxiety, and depression symptoms, in addition to mind-wandering. Parents also provided ratings of adolescents’ ADHD symptoms. Results: All adolescent-reported psychopathology dimensions, including ADHD, internalizing, and SCT, were significantly bivariately correlated with greater mind-wandering. However, in regression analysis that considered psychopathologies simultaneously, SCT was the only dimension uniquely associated with greater mind-wandering. This finding was unchanged when parent-reported ADHD symptoms were included in the model. Conclusion: These findings are the first to show that SCT symptoms are uniquely related with self-reported mind-wandering in adolescents with ADHD and underscore the importance of considering co-occurring SCT symptoms when testing the interrelations between ADHD and mind-wandering. Replication is needed in larger samples and with other measures of mind-wandering.