Sluggish Cognitive Tempo in Adults Referred for an ADHD Evaluation: A Psychometric Analysis of Self- and Collateral Report

Overview

Journal J Atten Disord

Publisher Sage Publications

Specialty Psychiatry

Date 2018 Jul 20

PMID 30024295

Citations 6

Authors

Jessica R Lunsford-Avery

Scott H Kollins

John T Mitchell

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) symptoms uniquely contribute to psychiatric and functional outcomes in child samples; however, the psychometric properties of SCT measures among adult outpatients are unknown. Adults ( = 124) presenting for an ADHD evaluation provided self- and collateral report of SCT symptoms. The SCT scale had good internal consistency and yielded three factors across raters: Slow/Daydreamy, Sleepy/Sluggish, and Low Initiation/Persistence. SCT scores exhibited convergent validity with ADHD symptoms across raters. Individuals with ADHD received higher SCT ratings than those without ADHD via collateral report, a pattern that was similar when comorbidity was considered. SCT was associated with poorer functioning after accounting for ADHD symptoms with some differential effects based on reporting source. Findings support the internal consistency and validity of a three-factor SCT scale among adult outpatients. Differential results between self- and collateral report demonstrate the importance of multiple reporters of SCT in clinical settings.

Citing Articles

Characteristics of Sluggish Cognitive Tempo among adults with ADHD: objective neurocognitive measures align with self-report of executive function.

Krone B, Adler L, Anbarasan D, Leon T, Gallagher R, Patel P Front Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2025; 2():1188901.

PMID: 39839585 PMC: 11747905. DOI: 10.3389/frcha.2023.1188901.

Validation of the Farsi Version of the Adult Concentration Inventory for Assessing Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome.

Sadeghi-Bahmani D, Parhoon H, Esmaeili M, Parhoon K, Sadeghi Bahmani L, Khazaie H J Clin Med. 2023; 12(14).

PMID: 37510724 PMC: 10380426. DOI: 10.3390/jcm12144607.

Report of a Work Group on Sluggish Cognitive Tempo: Key Research Directions and a Consensus Change in Terminology to Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome.

Becker S, Willcutt E, Leopold D, Fredrick J, Smith Z, Jacobson L J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2022; 62(6):629-645.

PMID: 36007816 PMC: 9943858. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2022.07.821.

Systematic Review: Assessment of Sluggish Cognitive Tempo Over the Past Decade.

Becker S J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2020; 60(6):690-709.

PMID: 33166623 PMC: 8099929. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2020.10.016.

Eveningness Diurnal Preference: Putting the "Sluggish" in Sluggish Cognitive Tempo.

Lunsford-Avery J, Sweitzer M, Kollins S, Mitchell J J Atten Disord. 2020; 25(14):2060-2067.

PMID: 33026285 PMC: 9273285. DOI: 10.1177/1087054720959697.

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