title: Impact of executive functions on school and peer functions in youths with ADHD.
abstract: Youths with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more likely to have social dysfunction at school. The authors explored the role of key executive functions (EF, i.e., spatial working memory and spatial planning) on school and peer functions in 511 youths with persistent ADHD according to the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria and 124 non-ADHD controls without any EF deficits. All the participants were assessed by a semi-structured psychiatric interview to confirm their previous and current diagnosis of ADHD and other psychiatric disorders and by the Spatial Working Memory (SWM) and Stocking of Cambridge (SOC) tasks. The participants and their parents reported the participants' school functions and peer relationships. There were three ADHD subgroups: (1) ADHD with deficits in both SWM and SOC tasks (n=121); (2) ADHD with deficit in either SWM or SOC task (n=185); (3) ADHD without deficits in SWM or SOC task (n=205). All the three ADHD groups, regardless of EF deficits, had lower school grade, poorer attitude toward school work, poorer school interactions, more behavioral problems at school, and more severe problems in peer relationships than non-ADHD controls. Multivariate analyses revealed positive associations between deficit in the SWM task and school and peer dysfunctions, and between deficits in the SOC task and impaired peer interactions. Older age and psychiatric comorbidity also contributed to increased risk of school and peer dysfunctions. Our findings suggest that deficits in EF, such as spatial working memory and planning, might be associated with school and peer dysfunctions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine and Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, No. 7, Chung-Shan South Road, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, No. 21, Section 2, Nanya South Road, Banciao District, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Huey-Ling
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine and Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, No. 7, Chung-Shan South Road, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Psychology, Graduate Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, and Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Section 1, Jen-Ai Road, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: gaushufe@ntu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Susan Shur-Fen
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Gau
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D015897:Comorbidity; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D008774:Methylphenidate / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010379:Peer Group; D012574:Schools; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*
chemical_list: D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D008774:Methylphenidate
keywords: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; Peer relationship; School function; Spatial planning; Spatial working memory