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Multi-method examination of cognitive disengagement syndrome and ADHD inattentive symptoms in relation to early adolescents’ academic functioning

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Abstract

Cognitive disengagement syndrome (CDS), previously referred to as sluggish cognitive tempo, is a set of symptoms characterized by excessive daydreaming, mental fogginess, and slowed behavior/thinking. Studies examining the association between CDS and academic functioning have reported mixed findings and have relied upon limited measures of CDS, broad ratings of academic impairment, and/or focused only on elementary-aged children. The current study examined the relationship between CDS and academic functioning in adolescents using a comprehensive, multi-informant, multi-method design. Participants were 302 adolescents (Mage = 13.17 years; 44.7% female; 81.8% White; 52% with ADHD) recruited in the fall of their 8th grade. Above and beyond ADHD inattentive symptoms, CDS symptoms were related to poorer homework performance, lower math fluency, and lower daily academic motivation across multiple informants, and teacher-reported CDS symptoms were related to lower grades. Findings were not moderated by ADHD diagnosis, suggesting that associations between CDS and academic outcomes do not differ for adolescents with and without ADHD. Findings demonstrate that CDS symptoms are uniquely associated with daily academic difficulties as well as global indices of academic performance. These findings have implications for assessing and monitoring CDS symptoms in interventions aiming to improve the academic functioning in adolescents with and without ADHD.

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Data availability

Data are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request and execution of a data use agreement.

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Funding

This research was supported by award number R305A160126 from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), U.S. Department of Education. When data reported in this study were collected, Stephen Becker was supported by award number K23MH108603 from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the IES or the NIH.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Avenue, MLC 10006, Cincinnati, OH, USA

    Stephen P. Becker, Andrew C. Martinez & Kelsey K. Wiggs

  2. Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA

    Stephen P. Becker

  3. Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA

    Joshua M. Langberg

  4. Department of Psychology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Zoe R. Smith

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  1. Stephen P. Becker
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Contributions

SPB, ACM, KKW, and ZRS wrote the manuscript. ZRS conducted analyses and ZRS and SPB prepared tables. SPB and JLM obtained study funding and oversaw study design and execution. JLM provided critical feedback and edits. All authors reviewed the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stephen P. Becker.

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Conflicts of interest

Dr. Becker discloses grant funding from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), U.S. Department of Education; National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH); and Cincinnati Children’s Research Foundation (CCRF), and has received book honoraria from Guilford Press, editorial honoraria as Joint Editor of JCPP Advances, grant review panel honoraria from the IES, and educational seminar speaking fees and CE course royalties from J&K Seminars. Dr. Wiggs discloses grant funding (F31) from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Dr. Langberg discloses grant funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), and has received book royalties from the National Association for School Psychologists (NASP) and editorial honoraria as Associate Editor and Editor of Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology. Dr. Smith discloses grant funding from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). Mr. Martinez has no disclosures to report.

Ethics approval

The study was approved by the Virginia Commonwealth University and the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center Institutional Review Boards.

Informed consent/Consent to publish

We obtained written informed consent and assent from participants to participate in this study and use their de-identified data in analysis and publications.

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Becker, S.P., Martinez, A.C., Wiggs, K.K. et al. Multi-method examination of cognitive disengagement syndrome and ADHD inattentive symptoms in relation to early adolescents’ academic functioning. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-023-02311-8

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