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. 2017 Jun;21(8):623-631.
doi: 10.1177/1087054716680077. Epub 2016 Nov 25.

Can Sluggish Cognitive Tempo Be Distinguished From ADHD Inattention in Very Young Children? Evidence From a Sample of Korean Preschool Children

SoYean Lee  1 , G Leonard Burns  2 , Stephen P Becker  3
Affiliations

Can Sluggish Cognitive Tempo Be Distinguished From ADHD Inattention in Very Young Children? Evidence From a Sample of Korean Preschool Children

SoYean Lee et al. J Atten Disord. 2017 Jun.

Abstract

Objective: This study evaluated whether sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) is separable from ADHD-inattention (IN) and uniquely associated with internalizing dimensions in preschool children in South Korea.

Method: Mothers of 172 preschool children (ages 4-6 years; 52% girls) rated children's SCT, ADHD-IN, ADHD-hyperactivity/impulsivity (HI), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), aggression, emotional reactivity, anxiety/depression, somatic complaints, withdrawal, and sleep problems.

Results: Eight of 10 SCT symptoms showed convergent and discriminant validity with ADHD-IN. ADHD-IN remained significantly positively associated with ADHD-HI, ODD, and aggressive behavior after controlling for SCT, whereas SCT was no longer positively associated with these externalizing behaviors after controlling for ADHD-IN. Both SCT and ADHD-IN were uniquely associated with greater emotionally reactivity, anxiety/depression, and withdrawal. Only SCT was uniquely associated with somatic complaints, and only ADHD-IN was uniquely associated with sleep problems.

Conclusion: Findings replicate results with children and adolescents, thus expanding evidence for the validity of SCT in early development.

Keywords: ADHD; South Korea; attention problems; preschool children; sluggish cognitive tempo.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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