![Sample our Behavioral Sciences journals, sign in here to start your access, latest two full volumes FREE to you for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/110801/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Behavioral-Sciences.jpg"})
Abstract
Associations between cardiovascular stress markers, subjective stress reactivity, and executive functions were studied in 60 adults (30 with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, ADHD, and 30 controls) using the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT, a test of executive functions) as a cognitive stressor. Despite higher self-perceived stress, the adults with ADHD showed lower or atypical cardiovascular stress reactivity, which was associated with poorer performance on PASAT. Using cardiovascular stress markers, subjective stress, and results on PASAT as predictors in a logistic regression, 83.3% of the ADHD group and 86.9% of the controls could be classified correctly.
We are indebted to all participants involved in this study. We also wish to express our appreciation to clinical psychologists Pernilla Bothén, Else Waaler, and Anna Johnson, as well as psychiatrists Ylva Ginsberg, Gunnar Jakobsson, Annika Brar, and Annie Sagrén at the Neuropsychiatric Unit of the Department of Psychiatry, Karolinska University Hospital, for their support in recruiting the participants in the ADHD group, Raffaella Björck at Karolinska Institutet for her assistance in recruiting the control group, and Bengt Andrée at Karolinska Institutet for his valuable comments during the planning stage of the study. We also wish to express our gratitude to the late Miriam Talvik for inspiring us with her dedication to perform research on neurodevelopmental disorders. Funding for this study was provided by the Stockholm County Council and the following foundations: Professor Bror Gadelius Minnesfond, Stiftelsen Söderström-Königska Sjukhemmet, Sigurd och Elsa Goljes Stiftelse and Stiftelsen Frimurare Barnhuset. All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interests related to this work.
