Toward Establishing the Transcultural Validity of Sluggish Cognitive Tempo: Evidence From a Sample of South Korean Children

Abstract

All sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) research has been conducted in North America and Western Europe, with the addition of 1 study in Chile. Our objective was to determine the internal and external validity of 9 SCT and 9 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.) attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder inattention (ADHD-IN) symptoms in South Korean children. Mothers, fathers, and teachers rated SCT, ADHD-IN, ADHD hyperactivity/impulsivity (HI), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), anxiety, depression, academic impairment, and social impairment in 1st- to 6th-grade children (6-13 years of age) from South Korea (Sample 1: mothers rated 885 children and fathers rated 646 children; 941 unique children, 54% girls; Sample 2: 99 teachers rated 297 children, 44% girls). The SCT and ADHD-IN symptoms showed convergent validity (substantial loadings on their respective factors) and discriminant validity (loadings near zero on the alternative factor) across all three raters. Although ADHD-IN showed a positive relationship with ADHD-HI and ODD even after controlling for SCT across all three raters, SCT was nonsignificantly (mothers and fathers) or negatively (teachers) related to ADHD-HI and ODD after controlling for ADHD-IN. Higher SCT scores predicted higher anxiety, depression, academic impairment (teachers only), and social impairment (teachers only) even after controlling for ADHD-IN, whereas higher ADHD-IN scores predicted higher anxiety (mothers and fathers only), depression, academic impairment, and social impairment after controlling for SCT. The study provides initial evidence for the internal and external validity of SCT relative to ADHD-IN in South Korean children, thereby providing the first evidence for SCT's validity in Asian children.

Sluggish cognitive tempo is associated with suicide risk in psychiatrically hospitalized children

“…For example, it is unknown if SCT is associated with abuse/maltreatment and family conflict (other indicators of thwarted belongingness) or shame and beliefs that oneself is a liability to others (other indicators of perceived burdensomeness). In addition, impulsivity is one indicator of acquired capability for suicide (Van Orden et al., ), and SCT is unassociated or even negatively associated with impulsivity when accounting for the overlap between SCT and ADHD inattention (Bernad et al., ; Burns, Becker, Servera, Bernad, & García‐Banda, ; Fenollar Cortés et al., ; Lee, Burns, & Becker, ; Lee et al., ). Thus, although some aspects of SCT may increase risk for suicide, other aspects of SCT may actually reduce risk for engaging in suicidal behaviors or attempts.…”

Sluggish cognitive tempo in children and adolescents with higher functioning autism spectrum disorders: Social impairments and internalizing symptoms

“…“gets lost in his or her own thoughts”; “daydreams”; “seems to be in a world of his or her own”) (Penny, Waschbusch, Klein, Corkum & Eskes, ). The majority of studies have used two to four items of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL; Achenbach, ) or eight to ten items of the Child and Adolescent Disruptive Behavior Inventory (CADBI; Burns & Lee, ) to assess SCT symptoms (Becker, Garner & Byars, ; Belmar, Servera, Becker & Burns, ; Burns, Servera, Bernad, Carrillo & Cardo, ; Khadka, Burns & Becker, ; Lee et al ., ; Lee, Burns & Becker, ). In addition to CBCL and CADBI, a 15 item SCT scale has been developed by McBurnett and Pfiffner in 2005 and a 14 item SCT scale has been developed by Penny et al .…”

Honing in on the Social Difficulties Associated With Sluggish Cognitive Tempo in Children: Withdrawal, Peer Ignoring, and Low Engagement

“…Still others have found that whether SCT remained associated with social impairment beyond ADHD symptoms varied based on whether parent or teachers were the informant. For instance, in a study of children from South Korea, SCT remained associated with greater social impairment beyond ADHD when teacher ratings were used, but not when parent ratings were used (Lee, Burns, & Becker, 2016b). Similarly, another study found teacher-rated SCT to be associated with poorer social skills, whereas parent-rated SCT was unassociated with social skills after controlling for ADHD symptoms (Bauermeister, Barkley, Bauermeister, Martinez, & McBurnett, 2012).…”