Measures of executive functions predicting Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder core symptoms
African Journal of Psychological Assessment
| Field | Value | |
| Title | Measures of executive functions predicting Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder core symptoms | |
| Creator | Boshomane, Tshikani T. Pillay, Basil J. Meyer, Anneke | |
| Description | Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common childhood disorder, and in many children, ADHD is thought to be aggravated by a deficit in executive functions (EFs). This study tried to establish whether commonly used neuropsychological tests of EF also predicted the core symptoms of ADHD, namely hyperactivity/impulsiveness (H/I) and inattention, as well as total ADHD symptomatology, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR). The participants were children from the Limpopo province, South Africa, aged from 6 to 15 years (M = 11.7 years; SD = 1.7). One hundred and fifty-six children (51.3% girls) were assessed by neuropsychological tests of EFs: the Tower of London (ToL), Digits Forward and Digits Backward, Trails-A and Trails-B and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). Forward stepwise regression analysis was employed to predict H/I and inattention, as well as total ADHD symptomatology, based on DSM-IV-TR criteria. All the tests, except Trails-A, were found to predict ADHD symptomatology. The WCST (total errors) was the best predictor of all the ADHD symptoms and also for H/I and inattention separately, followed by Trails-B and Digits Backwards, which were found to predict more symptoms of inattention than H/I. Perseverative errors on the WCST predicted more H/I symptomatology, whilst non-perseverating errors were more associated with inattention. The ToL and Digits Forward predicted fewer ADHD symptoms. The ToL seemed more sensitive to inattention, whilst Digits Forward showed a stronger association with H/I. The WCST, Digits Backwards and Trails-B may be used to measure EF to support the diagnosis of ADHD in a clinical setting and to indicate cognitive impairment. | |
| Publisher | AOSIS | |
| Date | 2021-10-22 | |
| Identifier | 10.4102/ajopa.v3i0.48 | |
| Source | African Journal of Psychological Assessment; Vol 3 (2021); 10 pages 2617-2798 2707-1618 | |
| Language | eng | |
| Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/FP7/781010
https://ajopa.org/index.php/ajopa/article/view/48/245
https://ajopa.org/index.php/ajopa/article/view/48/246
https://ajopa.org/index.php/ajopa/article/view/48/247
https://ajopa.org/index.php/ajopa/article/view/48/248
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