Collaborators
- Dr Elizabeth Schaughency (Department of Psychology)
Sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) and daytime sleepiness are both common in individuals with attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). There appears to be considerable overlap between the tired and lethargic aspects of SCT and behaviours frequently exhibited by individuals with daytime sleepiness. However, little is known about how these constructs overlap and whether or not they are empirically distinct. Recent survey data from our lab indicates the relationship between SCT and daytime sleepiness may be related to, but not redundant from daytime sleepiness, and potentially associated with lower academic performance in children, even after controlling for attentive disorders and mood.
There is potential for studies to advance these survey findings further through more objective testing of sleep and academic performance linked to SCT in a community sample of school-aged children. Further investigations in clinic populations could tell us more about whether or not SCT is a distinct construct from other conditions, e.g. anxiety, depression or ADHD