Disrupted Attention to Other's Eyes is Linked to Symptoms of ADHD in Childhood

Overview

Journal Child Psychiatry Hum Dev

Specialties Pediatrics
Psychiatry

Date 2022 Jan 17

PMID 35038052

Authors

Matilda A Frick

Karin C Brocki

Linda Halldner Henriksson

Johan Lundin Kleberg

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with impaired social interaction. Other's eyes are important for understanding the social world. Here, we examined concurrent and longitudinal links between attention to other's eyes and symptoms of ADHD and comorbid externalizing and internalizing symptoms. Eighty-two 8 to 13-year-old children (40% with ADHD) participated. The latency to a first gaze shift to and away from the eye region of human faces, when primed to look at either the eyes or the mouth, was recorded with eye tracking. Parents rated ADHD, externalizing and internalizing symptoms at the time of testing and at 2-year follow-up. The results show that longer looking at the eyes before reorienting was specifically associated with concurrent and future symptoms of inattention, even when accounting for comorbid symptoms. We conclude that the temporal microstructure of attention to other's eyes is altered in children with symptoms of ADHD, which may contribute to social impairments.

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