Examining the Role of Attention Deficits in the Social Problems and Withdrawn Behavior of Children With Sluggish Cognitive Tempo Symptoms

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Previous studies have found that sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) symptoms are often associated with social problems and withdrawn behavior.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 However, no study has examined whether attention deficits are related to social problems and withdrawn behavior in children with SCT. This study was the first to examine the neuropsychological correlates of social problems and withdrawn behavior among children with SCT symptoms. The results showed that sustained attention measure (omission) predicted the severity of social problems and withdrawn behavior in children with SCT even after controlling for symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.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.

Abnormal physiological responses toward sensory stimulus are related to the attention deficits in children with sluggish cognitive tempo

“…Omission errors in sustained attention task have been found to be positively associated with social problems and withdrawn behavior that are commonly present in children with high-SCT symptoms ( Yung et al, 2021 ). The results of the current study provide new evidence to explain the linkage between sustained attention difficulty and social problems/withdrawn behavior.…”

Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome (Sluggish Cognitive Tempo) and Social Withdrawal: Advancing a Conceptual Model to Guide Future Research

“…Importantly, why are youth with CDS socially disengaged? Although preliminary findings point to attention deficits as one potential mechanism (Yung et al, 2021), a large body of literature in developmental psychopathology on predictors, types, and outcomes of social withdrawal in youth has advanced separately from literature on CDS. Thus, to enhance our assessment and intervention of social withdrawal in youth with CDS, the following sections review and integrate findings on social withdrawal in order to advance a conceptual model of key mechanisms and moderators to further understand the CDS and social withdrawal link.…”

“…Despite the consistent support for effects of CDS on social withdrawal, only one study, to our knowledge, has explored mechanisms or predictors of social withdrawal in individuals with CDS. In a community-based sample of school-aged children, task-based deficits in sustained attention were associated with greater parent-reported social withdrawal in children high in SCT (Yung et al, 2021).…”

“…In fact, as studies characterized the peer impairments of youth with ADHD-IN as socially withdrawn and passive (Maedgen & Carlson, 2000;Mikami et al, 2007), researchers suggested that co-occurring symptoms of CDS may better account for the presence of social withdrawal (Solanto et al, 2009). Across community and ADHD-specific samples, consistent evidence characterizes the social profile of youth with CDS as socially withdrawn, isolated, and shy (Becker et al, 2019;Carlson & Mann, 2002;Marshall et al, 2014;Mikami et al, 2007;Rondon et al, 2020;Servera et al, 2018;Yung et al, 2021). For instance, studies in youth diagnosed with ADHD plus high CDS symptoms find significantly greater teacher- (Carlson & Mann, 2002) and parent-reported (Marshall et al, 2014;Rondon et al, 2020) social withdrawal compared to children with ADHD and low CDS symptoms.…”

A Pro-social Pill? The Potential of Pharmacological Treatments to Improve Social Outcomes After Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury

“…These phenotypes may correspond to the clinical setting where children after brain injuries often present with both attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and social behavior problems ( 93 , 94 ). Recent studies have suggested that aberrant social behaviors may be attributed, at least in part, to deficits in sustained attention and attentional control ( 95 ). As such the relationship between social functioning and attention in pediatric TBI warrants further investigation, with potential implications for novel therapeutic targeting of both comorbidities.…”