Attention, Hyperactivity, and Cognitive Performance in Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

The extent to which Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms (i.e., inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity) are associated with ADHD-related cognitive impairments has yet to be understood. This study sought to examine between-group differences in activity level, performance on a sustained attention task and objectively measured attention, while controlling for anxiety and depression severity in a sample of adults with and without ADHD (N = 26). High precision actigraphs and behavioral codes of visual attention to task were used to examine the extent to which activity level and visual attention to task are related to performance on a sustained attention task (i.e., Continuous Performance Test, CPT). The study also sought to examine the extent to which visual attention to task mediates the relationship between activity level and errors on the CPT. The ADHD sample exhibited higher activity level rates during the CPT, while the comparison group exhibited higher activity level rates during non-cognitive control conditions (i.e., Microsoft Paint; p < .05). Differences in activity level between the groups did not vary as a function of anxiety or depression severity. No between-group differences were found in visual attention to task or CPT performance. Meditational analyses were not conducted due to a lack of variation in visual attention to task between the groups. Future directions for research and clinical implications are discussed.