Working memory deficits and social problems in children with ADHD

J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2011 Aug;39(6):805-17. doi: 10.1007/s10802-011-9492-8.

Abstract

Social problems are a prevalent feature of ADHD and reflect a major source of functional impairment for these children. The current study examined the impact of working memory deficits on parent- and teacher-reported social problems in a sample of children with ADHD and typically developing boys (N=39). Bootstrapped, bias-corrected mediation analyses revealed that the impact of working memory deficits on social problems is primarily indirect. That is, impaired social interactions in children with ADHD reflect, to a significant extent, the behavioral outcome of being unable to maintain a focus of attention on information within working memory while simultaneously dividing attention among multiple, on-going events and social cues occurring within the environment. Central executive deficits impacted social problems through both inattentive and impulsive-hyperactive symptoms, whereas the subsidiary phonological and visuospatial storage/rehearsal systems demonstrated a more limited yet distinct relationship with children's social problems.

MeSH terms

  • Attention
  • Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / complications
  • Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / diagnosis
  • Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / psychology*
  • Child
  • Executive Function
  • Humans
  • Interpersonal Relations*
  • Male
  • Memory Disorders / complications
  • Memory Disorders / diagnosis
  • Memory Disorders / psychology*
  • Memory, Short-Term*
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Social Behavior