TY - JOUR
T1 - Factor structure of a sluggish cognitive tempo scale in clinically-referred children
AU - Jacobson, Lisa A.
AU - Murphy-Bowman, Sarah C.
AU - Pritchard, Alison E.
AU - Tart-Zelvin, Ariana
AU - Zabel, T. Andrew
AU - Mahone, E. Mark
PY - 2012/11
Y1 - 2012/11
N2 - Sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) is a construct hypothesized to describe a constellation of behaviors that includes daydreaming, lethargy, drowsiness, difficulty sustaining attention, and underactivity. Although the construct has been inconsistently defined, measures of SCT have shown associations with symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), particularly inattention. Thus, better characterization of SCT symptoms may help to better predict specific areas of functional difficulty in children with ADHD. The present study examined psychometric characteristics of a recently developed 14-item scale of SCT (Penny et al.; Psychological Assessment 21:380-389, 2009), completed by teachers on children referred for outpatient neuropsychological assessment. Exploratory factor analysis identified three factors in the clinical sample: Sleepy/Sluggish, Slow/Daydreamy, and Low Initiation/Persistence. Additionally, SCT symptoms, especially those loading on the Sleepy/Sluggish and Slow/Daydreamy factors, correlated more strongly with inattentive than with hyperactive/impulsive symptoms, while Low Initiation/Persistence symptoms added significant unique variance (over and above symptoms of inattention) to the predictions of impairment in academic progress.
AB - Sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) is a construct hypothesized to describe a constellation of behaviors that includes daydreaming, lethargy, drowsiness, difficulty sustaining attention, and underactivity. Although the construct has been inconsistently defined, measures of SCT have shown associations with symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), particularly inattention. Thus, better characterization of SCT symptoms may help to better predict specific areas of functional difficulty in children with ADHD. The present study examined psychometric characteristics of a recently developed 14-item scale of SCT (Penny et al.; Psychological Assessment 21:380-389, 2009), completed by teachers on children referred for outpatient neuropsychological assessment. Exploratory factor analysis identified three factors in the clinical sample: Sleepy/Sluggish, Slow/Daydreamy, and Low Initiation/Persistence. Additionally, SCT symptoms, especially those loading on the Sleepy/Sluggish and Slow/Daydreamy factors, correlated more strongly with inattentive than with hyperactive/impulsive symptoms, while Low Initiation/Persistence symptoms added significant unique variance (over and above symptoms of inattention) to the predictions of impairment in academic progress.
KW - ADHD
KW - Academic performance
KW - Hyperactivity
KW - Inattention
KW - Rating scale
KW - Reliability
KW - Validity
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84867878842&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84867878842&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10802-012-9643-6
DO - 10.1007/s10802-012-9643-6
M3 - Article
C2 - 22566025
AN - SCOPUS:84867878842
SN - 0091-0627
VL - 40
SP - 1327
EP - 1337
JO - Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology
JF - Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology
IS - 8
ER -