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Objective: Executive Functioning (EF) is a construct that is considered central to cognitive development and has recently garnered attention for its potential role in social functioning. This study investigated the relationship between EF and social skill using both multiple regression and relative weights analyses. Participants: A sample of undergraduate college students in the U.S. (N = 257; Nfemale = 145; Mage = 19.51) participated for course credit. Methods: Participants completed an online survey. Data were analyzed using multiple regression and relative weights analysis to better understand the unique contribution of EF skills to specific social skills. Results: For some dimensions of EF, ability positively correlated with adaptive social outcome, whereas for some other dimensions, lower ability correlated with positive social outcomes. Conclusions: EF may play a role in the general social functioning of college students, though the relationship appears complex and domain-specific. Statement of relevance: Social interaction is one of the most important things that humans do on a day-to-day basis, impacting both mental and physical wellness. College is a particularly important period where social interaction becomes increasingly important as well as complex. While there is no currently agreed upon cognitive basis of social interaction, the executive function (EF) system is believed to play a central role. The current study provides further evidence of the role of the EF system across different social skills in addition to highlighting the complexity of these relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder and an evening chronotype are both common among college students, and there is growing interest in understanding the possible link between attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder and circadian function. However, mixed findings have been reported, and many of the existing studies have used small samples that were unable to examine chronotype across attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder presentations. Participants were 4751 students (73% female; 80% White), aged 18–29 years (M = 19.28, SD = 1.50), from five universities who completed measures assessing attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder, depressive and anxiety symptoms, as well as the Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire to assess chronotype (categorical) and circadian preference (dimensional). Participants with either attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder predominantly inattentive presentation or attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder combined presentation had higher rates of being an evening type (47.2% and 41.5%, respectively) than participants without elevated attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (28.5%), and participants with attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder predominantly inattentive presentation also had higher rates of being an evening type than participants with attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder predominantly hyperactive–impulsive presentation (30.7%). Dimensional analyses indicated that attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder inattentive symptoms were more strongly associated than hyperactive–impulsive symptoms with eveningness preference. Finally, greater eveningness preference strengthened the association between attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder inattention and depressive symptoms but not anxiety symptoms. This is the largest study to document that college students with elevated attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms are more likely to be evening types than other college students, and inattentive symptoms in particular are associated with later circadian preference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can be identified in the preschool years, but little is known about the correlates of ADHD symptoms in preschool children. Research to date suggests that factors such as temperament, personality, and neuropsychological functioning may be important in understanding the development of early ADHD symptomatology. The current study sought to extend this research by examining how cognitive and reactive control processes predict ADHD symptoms. Data were drawn from a larger study that measured the cognitive, social, and emotional functioning of preschool children. Eighty-seven children (aged 4-6 years) were evaluated using teacher report and laboratory task measures relevant to cognitive control (i.e., conscientiousness, working memory) and reactive control (i.e., neuroticism, delay of gratification) processes. In multiple regression analyses, cognitive control variables added unique variance in the prediction of both inattention and hyperactivity, but only reactive control variables added unique variance in the prediction of hyperactivity. The current findings align with past research suggesting that cognitive control processes (e.g., conscientiousness) are related to both inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity, while reactive control processes (e.g., neuroticism) are more strongly related to hyperactivity/impulsivity in preschool children. Future longitudinal research utilizing various methods and measures is needed to understand how cognitive and reactive control processes contribute to ADHD symptom development.

Objective: The present study evaluated a 10-week psychosocial treatment designed specifically for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and a comorbid anxiety disorder. Method: Using a nonconcurrent multiple baseline design, the authors treated 8 children ages 8-12 with ADHD, combined type, and at least 1 of 3 major anxiety disorders (separation anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia). The integrated treatment protocol involved parent management training for ADHD and family-based cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety. Pretreatment assessments included semistructured diagnostic interviews and other standardized measures to determine study eligibility. Children were randomized to 1 of 3 baseline control conditions (i.e., 2, 3, or 4 weeks) and subsequently treated in a university-based psychosocial treatment clinic. Weekly assessments of ADHD and anxiety disorder symptoms occurred throughout treatment and comprehensive assessments were obtained at pretreatment, 1-week posttreatment, and 6-months posttreatment. Results: Single-case results supported greater success in the treatment phase relative to the baseline phase for both ADHD and anxiety symptoms, and ADHD and anxiety symptoms appeared to change concurrently. Pre-post group analyses revealed significant and clinically meaningful improvements in ADHD and anxiety symptoms at 1-week posttreatment, but only anxiety symptoms moved into the subclinical range. At 6-months follow-up, treatment effects were maintained with new movement into the subclinical range for ADHD. Conclusions: The present study provides initial data on an integrated treatment protocol for ADHD and anxiety. Further replication and evaluation are needed. Implications of the findings are discussed. (Contains 2 tables, 1 figure, and 7 footnotes.)

One hundred and ninety-six youth, ages 7-16, who fulfilled "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" (4th ed.) criteria for various specific phobias were randomized to a one-session exposure treatment, education support treatment, or a wait list control group. After the waiting period, the wait list participants were offered treatment and, if interested, rerandomized to 1 of the 2 active treatments. The phobias were assessed with semistructured diagnostic interviews, clinician severity ratings, and behavioral avoidance tests, whereas fears, general anxiety, depression, and behavior problems were assessed with self- and parent report measures. Assessments were completed pretreatment, posttreatment, and at 6 months following treatment. Results showed that both treatment conditions were superior to the wait list control condition and that 1-session exposure treatment was superior to education support treatment on clinician ratings of phobic severity, percentage of participants who were diagnosis free, child ratings of anxiety during the behavioral avoidance test, and treatment satisfaction as reported by the youth and their parents. There were no differences on self-report measures. Treatment effects were maintained at follow-up. Implications of these findings are discussed. (Contains 3 tables, 4 figures and 1 footnote.)

Objective: Sluggish Cognitive Tempo (SCT), characterized by lethargy and daydreaming, has most commonly been studied in community samples and in youth with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Despite shared neurodevelopmental symptoms with ADHD, few studies have investigated SCT in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The current study investigated SCT symptoms in youth with ASD, ADHD, and comorbid ASD+ADHD to explore the relations between SCT and global and social impairment. Method: Caregivers of children and adolescents (n = 98; ages 6–17) diagnosed with ADHD (n = 46), ASD (n = 28), or ASD+ADHD (n = 24) completed measures of social impairment, SCT, and demographic variables. Results: All three clinical groups demonstrated comparable levels of SCT. Diagnosis and SCT independently contributed to parent-rated social impairment, while SCT and IQ, but not diagnosis, contributed to clinician-rated global functioning. Specifically, having comorbid ASD+ADHD, but not an ASD or ADHD diagnosis alone, significantly predicted greater social impairment. Conclusion: These results extend previous literature investigating SCT in ASD and provide evidence to suggest that SCT is associated with social and global impairment above and beyond the impairment associated with ADHD and/or ASD. These results may have implications for clinical assessment and treatment of ASD and ADHD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]