Verbal working memory and processing speed: Correlations with the severity of attention deficit and emotional dysregulation in adult ADHD

Abstract

Objectives. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), emphasizes symptoms severity with regard to the diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Many clinicians use neuropsychological test results as objective measures of cognitive functions as part of the diagnostic work-up. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the psychometric test results regarding verbal working memory and processing speed are useful as indicators of the severity of attention deficits and emotional dysregulation in adults with ADHD.Methods. This observational cross-sectional clinical study included 418 adults diagnosed with ADHD according to the DSM-5. Attention deficit severity was defined based on the inattentive subscale of the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale. Emotional dysregulation was assessed with the Deficient Emotional Self-Regulation scale. Verbal working memory was measured with the Working Memory Index (WMI), and processing speed was measured with the Processing Speed Index (PSI) from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, third edition.Results. The full-scale intelligence quotients of the participants were in the normal range, with expected reductions in verbal working memory and processing speed. Only processing speed was associated with attention deficits (b = À.056, p = .003). The association between the psychometric test result for verbal working memory and processing speed and that between the severity of attention deficits and emotional dysregulation were weak (R 2 < .1) and mostly non-significant. Conclusion.The psychometric index scores for verbal working memory (WMI) and processing speed (PSI) seem to have limited utility as indicators of the severity of attention deficits and emotional dysregulation in adult ADHD patients.When assessing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), clinicians often use results from neuropsychological tests to obtain objective measures of the patient's cognitive function to supplement clinical assessments that are based on subjective self-This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Everyday Cognitive Control and Emotion Dysregulation in Young Adults With and Without ADHD: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study

“…Specifically, ED was found to be related to WM performance when measured using complex, demanding, executive WM tasks (e.g., OSPAN, n-back) ( Pe et al, 2015 ; Schmeichel & Demaree, 2010 ; Schmeichel et al, 2008 ; Sperduti et al, 2017 ) but not when using simple WM tasks (e.g., digit span and spatial span) ( Gyurak et al, 2009 , 2012 ; Sperduti et al, 2017 ). However, in the ADHD literature, the few studies that examined the links between WM and ED found no such associations ( Anker et al, 2022 ; Gisbert et al, 2019 ; Surman et al, 2015 ). A potential explanation for this discrepancy could be the nature of the WM tasks used in these studies, mainly involving simple tasks such as digit span and Letter-Number Sequencing (LNS) tasks.…”

“…In relation to ADHD, many studies reported deficits in both CC components of WM and IC ( Karalunas et al, 2020 , 2021 ; Mostert et al, 2015 ). Although these CC deficits are hypothesized to contribute to ED in ADHD ( Barkley, 2015 ; Hirsch et al, 2018 ; Petrovic & Castellanos, 2016 ), only a few studies to date have examined their potential association with ED in adults with ADHD, and the results are thus far mixed ( Anker et al, 2022 ; Gisbert et al, 2019 ; Surman et al, 2013 ). Importantly, most studies have used a single-time CC measurement, performed in controlled laboratory settings.…”

Feasibility of an Extensive Strategy for Adult Diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Among Patients Suffering From Substance Use Disorders

“…However, no significant difference was observed in our sample regarding processing speed and working memory between ADHD and non-ADHD. A more recent study also concluded to a limited utility of processing speed and working memory measures as indicators of the severity of ADHD ( 63 ). In fact, significant differences seem to disappear when IQ and depressive symptoms are included as covariate ( 21 ).…”

The Moderating Role of Emotional Regulation on the Relationship between School Results and Personal Characteristics of Pupils with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

“…The test contained 60 items grouped into 3 scales—recognition of facial expressions, identification of emotions and identification of emotional response. Content validity was ensured by the selection of images/items based on studies in the field (the relationship between brain and behavior, the identification and understanding of emotions and the social contexts in which they appear) by two experts in child psychological assessment and child development [ 30 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 ]. Content adjustment was based on the same principle as selection.…”

“…To complement the information from the above study, Anker and colleagues [ 35 ] showed in their study that the association between the results of neuropsychological tests of verbal working memory and processing speed and the association between the severity of attention deficits and emotional regulation deficits in people with ADHD were significant. A shortcoming of this research was that the problem of executive functioning and emotional regulation in ADHD was not treated in the light of a holistic approach.…”