Journal of Attention Disorders 1 –10 © The Author(s) DOI: 10.1177/1087054718787894 journals.sagepub.com/home/jad

Jessica R. Lunsford-Avery, Scott H. Kollins, and John T. Mitchell

Sluggish cognitive tempo is a constellation of symptoms including sluggishness, daydreaming, being slow to react, easily bored and fogginess in thinking, which has been shown to exist in several disorders, but commonly in children with ADHD (Barkley 2014). This investigation is important as the authors characterize the psychometric properties of self and collateral report of the Barkley SCT scale (BAARS-IV: SCT subscale – nine items) versus the Conners Adult ADHD Scale in 124 adults (80 of whom had ADHD). The Barkley SCT scale had high internal consistency (self-report Cronbach’s α = .79, collateral-report Cronbach’s α = .82). The self and collateral versions of the Barkley SCT scale were significantly, moderately correlated after covarying for age and sex (r = .41, p < .001). Factor analyses supported the same three factors generally found in studies of childhood SCT: Slow/Daydreamy, Sleepy/Sluggish and Low Initiation/Persistence Symptoms. The Barkley SCT scale was fairly highly correlated with ADHD symptoms in the CAARS, except for the Sleepy/Sluggish factor not correlating with Hyperactivity/Restlessness or Impulsivity and lower association with Emotional Lability. The lack of association of the Sleepy/Sluggish factor with Restlessness and Impulsivity appears to have some face validity given the differential nature of the symptoms. This article is important to clinicians because it highlights the importance of assessing adult ADHD patients for symptoms of sluggish cognitive tempo and how these SCT symptoms may relate to DSM-5 ADHD symptoms.

REFERENCES
Barkley, R. A. (2014). Sluggish cognitive tempo (concentration deficit disorder?): Current status, future directions, and a plea to change the name. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 42, 117-125. doi:10.1007/s10802-013-9824-y