The contribution of sluggish cognitive tempo to processing speed in survivors of pediatric brain tumors
Open accessAbstract
Sluggish Cognitive Tempo (SCT) describes a pattern of under-activity, poor initiation, and slowness. It was first reported within the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) literature and found to be positively associated with the inattentive symptoms of ADHD and negatively or not significantly associated with the hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms of ADHD. SCT has since been considered applicable to the pediatric oncology population given the emergence of inattentive, sluggish symptoms secondary to cancer treatment. The present study examined the unique contribution of SCT to various processing speed skills in a clinical sample of pediatric brain tumor (BT) survivors in order to determine the degree to which SCT explained timed “cognitive” processing components. Measures included speeded naming, graphomotor speed, and speeded inhibition. Hierarchical linear regression analyses were used to predict performance-based measures of processing speed. After controlling for verbal ability and inattention, SCT, particularly Daydreamy SCT (β = −0.698, p = 0.023), explained 28% of variance in speeded inhibition. SCT did not add significantly to the prediction of speeded naming or graphomotor speed. Findings suggest that the “daydreamy” aspect of SCT, rather than “sluggishness” per se, may be related to more complex, cognitively-demanding tasks with greater executive functioning burdens in BT survivors. Implications for intervention for oncology survivors as well as future research directions are discussed.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Inattention, depression, anxiety, somatic complaints, excessive or reduced sleep, cognitive problems, and autism symptoms have been found uniquely associated with SCT as predictors.
“Studies examining potential psychopathology correlates as predictors of SCT have found inattention, depression, anxiety, somatic complaints, excessive or reduced sleep, cognitive problems, and autism symptoms to be uniquely associated with SCT.62–64”
From Report of a Work Group on Sluggish Cognitive Tempo: Key Research Directions and a Consensus Change in Terminology to Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome (2023) · cites this paper as [64]
The Results (page unavailable) report that inattentive ADHD symptoms were strongly associated with SCT subscales in pediatric brain-tumor survivors. The paper does not establish inattention as a unique predictor of SCT or report the claimed associations with depression, anxiety, somatic complaints, excessive or reduced sleep, cognitive problems, or autism symptoms. (LLM, conf=0.82)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
American Psychiatric Association (2013) · doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596 · Cited by 116,369 · see citing works
Manual for the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale.
Wechsler, D. (1955) · Psychological Corp. eBooks · Cited by 4,941 · see citing works
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children
Miles-Mason, E. (2018) · Sage eBooks · doi:10.4135/9781483392271.n537 · Cited by 4,133 · see citing works
A structural approach to selection bias
Hernán, M. A., Hernández-Díaz, S., & Robins, J. M. (2004) · Epidemiology · doi:10.1097/01.ede.0000135174.63482.43 · Cited by 2,844 · cited 1× · see citing works
“That is, studies that utilize retrospective data acquired from a clinical population may be susceptible to bias due to the potential for differential participation of eligible study participants (Hernan et al., 2004; Ness et al., 2009).”
Background(1998) · Cited by 2,026 · see citing works
Turken, U., Whitfield-Gabrieli, S., Bammer, R., Baldo, J. V., Dronkers, N. F., & Gabrieli, J. D. E. (2008) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2008.03.057 · Cited by 500 · see citing works
Carlson, C. L., & Mann, M. (2002) · Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology · doi:10.1207/s15374424jccp3101_14 · Cited by 342 · see citing works
McBurnett, K., Pfiffner, L. J., & Frick, P. J. (2001) · Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology · doi:10.1023/a:1010377530749 · Cited by 308 · see citing works
Penny, A. M., Waschbusch, D. A., Klein, R. M., Corkum, P., & Eskes, G. (2009) · Psychological Assessment · doi:10.1037/a0016600 · Cited by 241 · see citing works
PFIFFNER, L. J., YEE MIKAMI, A., HUANG-POLLOCK, C., EASTERLIN, B., ZALECKI, C., & MCBURNETT, K. (2007) · Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · doi:10.1097/chi.0b013e318064675f · Cited by 231 · see citing works
The Internal and External Validity of Sluggish Cognitive Tempo and its Relation with DSM–IV ADHD
Willcutt, E. G., Chhabildas, N., Kinnear, M., DeFries, J. C., Olson, R. K., Leopold, D. R., Keenan, J. M., & Pennington, B. F. (2014) · Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology · doi:10.1007/s10802-013-9800-6 · Cited by 224 · see citing works
The Relation Between Sluggish Cognitive Tempo and DSM-IV ADHD
Hartman, C. A., Willcutt, E. G., Rhee, S. H., & Pennington, B. F. (2004) · Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology · doi:10.1023/b:jacp.0000037779.85211.29 · Cited by 222 · see citing works
Ris, M. D., & Noll, R. B. (1994) · Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology · doi:10.1080/01688639408402615 · Cited by 221 · see citing works
Working memory influences processing speed and reading fluency in ADHD
Jacobson, L. A., Ryan, M., Martin, R. B., Ewen, J., Mostofsky, S. H., Denckla, M. B., & Mahone, E. M. (2011) · Child Neuropsychology · doi:10.1080/09297049.2010.532204 · Cited by 215 · see citing works
Self-citationNeurocognitive Functioning in AD/HD, Predominantly Inattentive and Combined Subtypes
Solanto, M. V., Gilbert, S. N., Raj, A., Zhu, J., Pope-Boyd, S., Stepak, B., Vail, L., & Newcorn, J. H. (2007) · Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology · doi:10.1007/s10802-007-9123-6 · Cited by 195 · see citing works
Bauermeister, J. J., Barkley, R. A., Bauermeister, J. A., Martínez, J. V., & McBurnett, K. (2012) · Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology · doi:10.1007/s10802-011-9602-7 · Cited by 195 · see citing works
Schatz, J. C., Kramer, J. H., Ablin, A. R., et al. (2000) · Neuropsychology · doi:10.1037/0894-4105.14.2.189 · Cited by 193 · see citing works
Risk factors for cognitive decline in children treated for brain tumors
Duffner, P. K. (2009) · European Journal of Paediatric Neurology · doi:10.1016/j.ejpn.2009.10.005 · Cited by 161 · see citing works
Vincristine-induced peripheral neuropathy in pediatric cancer patients.
Mora, E., Smith, E., Donohoe, C., & Hertz, D. L. (2016) · PubMed Central · Cited by 157 · see citing works
Aukema, E. J., Caan, M. W. A., Oudhuis, N., Majoie, C. B. L. M., Vos, F. M., Reneman, L., Last, B. F., Grootenhuis, M. A., & Meeteren, A. Y. N. S. (2008) · International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics · doi:10.1016/j.ijrobp.2008.08.060 · Cited by 153 · see citing works
Atypical white matter volume development in children following craniospinal irradiation
Reddick, W. E., Glass, J. O., Palmer, S. L., Wu, S., Gajjar, A. J., Langston, J. W., Kun, L. E., Xiong, X., & Mulhern, R. K. (2005) · Neuro-Oncology · doi:10.1215/s1152851704000079 · Cited by 135 · see citing works
McBurnett, K., Villodas, M., Burns, G. L., Hinshaw, S. P., Beaulieu, A., & Pfiffner, L. J. (2014) · Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology · doi:10.1007/s10802-013-9801-5 · Cited by 130 · see citing works
Palmer, S. L. (2008) · Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews · doi:10.1002/ddrr.32 · Cited by 130 · see citing works
Wolfe, K. R., Madan‐Swain, A., & Kana, R. K. (2012) · Developmental Neuropsychology · doi:10.1080/87565641.2011.632462 · Cited by 109 · see citing works
Factor structure of a sluggish cognitive tempo scale in clinically-referred children
Jacobson, L. A., Murphy-Bowman, S. C., Pritchard, A. E., Tart-Zelvin, A., Zabel, T. A., & Mahone, E. M. (2012) · Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology · doi:10.1007/s10802-012-9643-6 · Cited by 101 · see citing works
Self-citationFactors influencing risk‐based care of the childhood cancer survivor in the 21st century
Dixon, S. B., Bjornard, K. L., Alberts, N. M., Armstrong, G. T., Brinkman, T. M., Chemaitilly, W., Ehrhardt, M. J., Fernández‐Pineda, I., Force, L. M., Gibson, T. M., et al. (2018) · CA A Cancer Journal for Clinicians · doi:10.3322/caac.21445 · Cited by 78 · see citing works
Rueckriegel, S. M., Driever, P. H., Blankenburg, F., et al. (2009) · International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics · doi:10.1016/j.ijrobp.2009.02.054 · Cited by 72 · see citing works
Fronto-cerebellar fiber tractography in pediatric patients following posterior fossa tumor surgery
Soelva, V., Driever, P. H., Abbushi, A., et al. (2012) · Child s Nervous System · doi:10.1007/s00381-012-1973-8 · Cited by 70 · see citing works
Sluggish cognitive tempo, processing speed, and internalizing symptoms: the moderating effect of age
Jacobson, L. A., Geist, M., & Mahone, E. M. (2018) · Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology · doi:10.1007/s10802-017-0281-x · Cited by 67 · see citing works
Self-citationBrief report: sluggish cognitive tempo among pediatric survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Reeves, C. B., Palmer, S., Gross, A. M., Simonian, S. J., Taylor, L., Willingham, E., & Mulhern, R. K. (2007) · Journal of Pediatric Psychology · doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsm063 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
Tamm, L., Garner, A. A., Loren, R. E. A., Epstein, J. N., Vaughn, A. J., Ciesielski, H. A., & Becker, S. P. (2016) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2016.05.054 · Cited by 64 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Likewise, SCT symptoms may confer risk for academic difficulties across domains (Jacobson & Mahone, 2019; Tamm et al., 2016).”
BackgroundNeurodevelopmental model of long-term outcomes of adult survivors of childhood brain tumors
King, T. Z., Ailion, A. S., Fox, M. E., et al. (2017) · Child Neuropsychology · doi:10.1080/09297049.2017.1380178 · Cited by 63 · see citing works
Are sluggish cognitive tempo symptoms associated with executive functioning in preschoolers?
Tamm, L., Brenner, S. B., Bamberger, M. E., & Becker, S. P. (2018) · Child Neuropsychology · doi:10.1080/09297049.2016.1225707 · Cited by 61 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Likewise, SCT symptoms may confer risk for academic difficulties across domains (Jacobson & Mahone, 2019; Tamm et al., 2016).”
BackgroundWhat cognitive processes are “sluggish” in sluggish cognitive tempo?
Kofler, M. J., Irwin, L. N., Sarver, D. E., Fosco, W. D., Miller, C. E., Spiegel, J. A., & Becker, S. P. (2019) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037/ccp0000446 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
Evaluating the Utility of Sluggish Cognitive Tempo in Discriminating Among DSM-IV ADHD Subtypes
Harrington, K. M., & Waldman, I. D. (2009) · Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology · doi:10.1007/s10802-009-9355-8 · Cited by 57 · see citing works
Kahalley, L. S., Conklin, H. M., Tyc, V. L., Wilson, S. J., Hinds, P. S., Wu, S., Xiong, X., & Hudson, M. M. (2011) · Pediatric Blood & Cancer · doi:10.1002/pbc.22998 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Ness, K. K., Leisenring, W. M., Goodman, P., Kawashima, T. I., Mertens, A. C., Oeffinger, K. C., Armstrong, G. T., & Robison, L. L. (2008) · Pediatric Blood & Cancer · doi:10.1002/pbc.21829 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
Mueller, A. K., Tucha, L., Koerts, J., Groen, Y., Lange, K., & Tucha, O. (2014) · Journal of Molecular Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/2049-9256-2-5 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Sluggish cognitive tempo in survivors of pediatric brain tumors
Willard, V. W., Hardy, K. K., Allen, T. M., Hwang, E. I., Gururangan, S., Hostetter, S. A., & Bonner, M. J. (2013) · Journal of Neuro-Oncology · doi:10.1007/s11060-013-1149-8 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Smith, Z. R., & Langberg, J. M. (2020) · Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry · doi:10.1111/jcpp.13149 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Lundervold, A. J., Posserud, M.-B., Ullebø, A.-K., Sørensen, L., & Gillberg, C. (2011) · European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · doi:10.1007/s00787-010-0153-1 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Reading skill in adult survivors of childhood brain tumor: A theory-based neurocognitive model.
Smith, K. M., King, T. Z., Jayakar, R., & Morris, R. D. (2014) · Neuropsychology · doi:10.1037/neu0000056 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Jacobson, L. A., & Mahone, E. M. (2018) · Journal of Attention Disorders · doi:10.1177/1087054718776468 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Self-citationPsychosocial needs of ethnic minority, inner-city, pediatric cancer patients
Moody, K. M., Mannix, M. M., Furnari, N., et al. (2010) · Supportive Care in Cancer · doi:10.1007/s00520-010-0966-y · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Fox, M. E., & King, T. Z. (2016) · Pediatric Blood & Cancer · doi:10.1002/pbc.26144 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 2
- DuPaul GJ, Power TJ, Anastopoulos AD, & Reid R (2016). ADHD rating Scale–IV for children and adolescents. Guilford Press.
- Wechsler D (2003). Wechsler intelligence scale for children (Fourth ed.). Psychological Corp.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Becker, S. P., Willcutt, E. G., Leopold, D. R., Fredrick, J. W., Smith, Z. R., Jacobson, L. A., Burns, G. L., Mayes, S. D., Waschbusch, D. A., Froehlich, T. E., et al. (2023) · Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2022.07.821 · Cited by 175 · see citing works
Self-citationBarkley, R. A., Willcutt, E., & Jacobson, L. A. (2022) · The ADHD Report · doi:10.1521/adhd.2022.30.2.1 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Self-citationSmith, Z. R., Del Castillo, A., Clark, O. E., & Holmbeck, G. N. (2022) · Child Neuropsychology · doi:10.1080/09297049.2022.2042503 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
- Authors
- Peterson, R. K., Jones, K., & Jacobson, L. A.
- Affiliations
- Kennedy Krieger Institute (US)
- Corresponding author
- Peterson, Rachel K.
- Venue
- Child Neuropsychology
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2021-04-18
- Volume
- 27
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 960-972
- ISSN
- 0929-7049 (ISSN-L)
- 1744-4136
- PMC
- PMC8574989
- OpenAlex
- W3155688453
- Semantic Scholar
- b331897606f7d11f84727627e7aeaddccfae97db
- Cited by
- 14
- References
- 45
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 7
- FWCI
- 2.72
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- europepmc.org
- Locations
- Child Neuropsychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health (R03MH111965)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Childhood Cancer Survivors' Quality of Life
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine › Cancer-related cognitive impairment studies
- Keywords
- sluggish cognitive tempo, processing speed, pediatric brain tumor survivors, executive function, inattention, cancer treatment effects, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
- MeSH terms
- Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Brain Neoplasms, Child, Cognition, Humans, Survivors, Executive Function
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
