Personality Traits in Relation to Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome and ADHD Inattention in Two Samples of Children

ABSTRACT

Objective

Cognitive disengagement syndrome (CDS; previously referred to as sluggish cognitive tempo) is a set of behaviors, including excessive mind-wandering, mental fogginess, and hypoactivity, that are separate from ADHD inattentive (ADHD-IN) symptoms and linked to functional outcomes. However, CDS and ADHD-IN symptoms are strongly associated, and our understanding of whether personality correlates are similarly or differentially linked to CDS and ADHD-IN is limited. The objective of the current study was to examine personality correlates of CDS and ADHD-IN symptoms across two independent samples of school-aged youth.

Method

Study 1 included 207 school-aged children (ages 7–11; 63% male; 87.9% White) with or without teacher-reported elevations in CDS. Study 2 included 263 school-aged children (ages 8–12; 58% male; 75.3% White) with the full range of CDS symptomatology. Parents and teachers completed ratings of ADHD-IN and CDS, and parents also reported on their child’s personality dimensions.

Results

Across two samples and controlling for demographic characteristics as well as ADHD-IN symptoms and other personality traits, higher levels of FFFS-fear/shyness were uniquely associated with higher levels of parent- and teacher-reported CDS symptoms. In most models, lower levels of BAS-drive were also uniquely associated with higher levels of CDS. In contrast, when controlling for demographic characteristics and CDS symptoms, higher levels of BAS-impulsivity/fun-seeking were uniquely associated with higher levels of parent- and teacher-reported ADHD-IN symptoms.

Discussion

The findings provide the clearest evidence to date that personality dimensions are differentially associated with ADHD-IN and CDS symptoms in children, further underscoring CDS as a distinct construct from ADHD-IN.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by award number [R305A160064] from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES; U.S. Department of Education), award number [K23MH108603] from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), a Trustee Award from the Cincinnati Children’s Research Foundation (CCRF), and a Cincinnati Children’s Endowed Scholar Award. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the IES, NIH, or the CCRF.