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Copyright of Revista Iberoamericana de Psicología y Salud is the property of Revista Iberoamericana de Psicologia y Salud and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

People who suffer from ADHD in their childhood are more likely to be involved in criminal acts in late adolescence and adulthood. This study analyses the association between retrospective ADHD symptoms and associated problems (somatic and learning difficulties), and current symptoms in a sample of adults from imprisoned and clinical populations. Four hundred and fifty‐seven participants, aged between 17 and 69 years, were divided into four groups: ADHD prison group without clinical history of symptoms (n = 61), prison group (n = 162), ADHD clinical group (n = 176) and clinical group (n = 58). The ADHD‐IV scale and Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS) were administered to the four groups and demonstrated high rates of persistence of ADHD symptoms into adulthood. ADHD groups reported significantly higher impairment both during childhood (symptoms, somatic and learning difficulties) and at present, with the ADHD clinical group being the most severely impaired. Finally, current symptoms of ADHD, along with childhood ADHD symptoms and learning difficulties, significantly predicted current impairments, but only in the clinical group. These findings represent some initial steps into the identification of predictors of ADHD symptomatology in adulthood in order to elucidate its etiopathogenesis and better identify high‐risk groups for targeted prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study examined the relationship between ADHD and writing performance. Method: Students in Grades 3 to 7, 84 with ADHD and 135 age- and gender-matched controls completed a writing task (including process logs), and measures of working memory and attention. Results: Students with ADHD wrote texts of similar length but with poorer structure, coherence, and ideation. In all, 6.7% of the variance in writing quality was explained by whether or not the student had an ADHD diagnosis, after control for IQ and age-within-year, with ADHD students producing text that was less coherent, well structured, and ideationally rich, and spending less time thinking about and reviewing their text. Half of the effect on text quality could be attributed to working memory and sustained attention effects. Conclusion: ADHD has some effect on writing performance, which can, in part, be explained by working memory and attentional deficits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a complex disorder in terms of etiology, clinical presentation, and treatment outcome. Pharmacological and psychological interventions are recommended as primary treatments in ADHD; however, other nonpharmacological intervention such as a dietary supplementation with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFAs) has emerged as an attractive option. Purpose: The objective of the present study was to assess whether dietary supplementation with highly concentrated ω-3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) triglyceride may improve symptoms in ADHD. Method: A 6-month prospective double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial was designed in 66 patients with ADHD, aged between 6 and 18 years. Participants in the experimental group received a combination of ω-3 fatty acids (DHA 1,000 mg, eicosapentaenoic acid 90 mg, and docosapentaenoic acid 150 mg). Instruments included d2-test, AULA Nesplora, EDAH scales, and abbreviated Conner's Rating Scale. Results: In the cognitive test, between-group differences were not found, but within-group differences were of a greater magnitude in the DHA group. Between-group differences in favor of the DHA arm were observed in behavioral measures, which were already detected after 3 months of treatment. Results were not changed when adjusted by ADHD medication. Conclusions: This study provides further evidence of the beneficial effect of supplementation with ω-3 DHA in the management of ADHD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to describe and compare naming speed abilities in children diagnosed with either Reading Learning Difficulties (RLD) or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), or comorbidity for both (ADHD+RLD). To examine the explanatory power of naming speed and ADHD symptomatology in predicting group associations (while controlling for gender and age), the “Rapid Automatized Naming and Rapid Alternating Stimulus Tests” (RAN/RAS) were utilized. A sample of 101 children (age range = 5-16 years) was divided into four groups: RLD (n = 14), ADHD (n = 28), comorbid (n = 19), and control (n = 40). There were statistically significant differences in RAN/RAS results among the diagnostic groups. Moreover, discriminant analysis revealed that naming speed tasks significantly predicted reading and attentional problems, especially at earlier ages. These results demonstrate the potential usefulness of RAN/RAS in the diagnosis of reading and attentional problems, particularly if the children are aged from 5 to 9. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In previous studies, children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have been found to have more difficulties with processing speed, working memory, and attentional tasks. The present study aimed to compare the cognitive variables (working memory and processing speed) and the attentional profiles of a sample of students with and without ADHD, using scales from the WISC-IV, and the virtual reality-based attentional test known as ‘Aula Nesplora’; and determine the extent to which the aforementioned variables may predict student group membership. A total of 88 students took part in this study (66 males and 22 females), aged from 6 to 16 years (M = 10.20; SD = 2.79). The sample was divided into two groups: an ADHD group (n = 50) and a Control group (n = 38). Students in the ADHD group obtained lower scores in working memory and in processing speed, as well as demonstrating poorer performance in Aula Nesplora than did their peers. Working memory, and the number of omissions, were both shown to be reliable predictors of group membership. This study revealed the importance of obtaining data from attentional variables differentiated by modality when considering cognitive variables, in order to better characterize the difficulties experienced by individuals diagnosed with ADHD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Anales de Psicología is the property of Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad de Murcia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this review, we discuss the historic evolution of ADHD research up until the present, and explain the actual theoretical models of writing in relation to ADHD and attention. Given the characterization of writing as a recursive process, and in order to show its relationship with attention disorders, examples of applicable writing models are also described. These models contribute to a far better understanding of the findings from empirical studies. Additionally, a review of the empirical research on ADHD and writing conducted in the last decades is presented. The conclusions obtained from this analytical review suggest a lack of empirical studies concerning writing and ADHD. Specifically, this shortfall is even more obvious in those studies that have focused on the relationship among written composition, processes followed by ADHD students during tasks, and the written products they construct. Only a few studies have been carried out in this context, however, they have approached the combined problem in a superficial way without examining it in detail. A review and analysis of the association between ADHD and writing learning difficulties is the most novel and fundamental element with respect to the theoretical contribution we herein present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of the subtypes of ADHD is made today from different perspectives. The aim of this study was to describe and compare these subtypes from the point of view of the executive functioning through the administration of the BRIEF scale in its parents form. The sample consisted of 109 participants (mean age = 10.6 years) assigned to four groups: three corresponded to the three subtypes of ADHD and a control group. In this study the Behavior Regulation Index, and especially inhibition, established differences between combined and predominantly hyperactive/impulsive subtypes and controls and, in turn, the group predominantly inattentive, while the Metacognition Index differentiated between predominantly inattentive and combined subtypes and controls. These results support the utility of the BRIEF scale in the study of ADHD and its subtypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent childhood disorder, which is associated to response inhibition deficits. The main aim of this study is to analyze the eye saccadic movements as a measure of inhibitory control in ADHD, using Fixation and Antisaccade tasks. 4 children and adolescents took part in the study (2 ADHD and 2 controls), aged 7 and 16. Eye movements' assessment was completed by the administration of response inhibition and attention deficit measures. Main results indicated: a) ADHD group showed a significant higher number of mistakes in saccadic tasks (intrusive saccadic in the Fixation task and direction mistakes in the Antisaccade task); b) the 16 years old participant with ADHD showed less mistakes than the 7 years old children. Additionally, and in contrast to this second participant, he was able to correct practically all of them; c) high coherence between saccadic tasks and response inhibition and attention deficit was found, where high levels of saccadic movements' mistakes were related to low attention and high impulsivity levels. These results highlight about the validity and usefulness of the saccadic eye movements as a measure of the inhibitory deficit in ADHD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The three types of presentations of ADHD often co-occur with other disorders, anxiety being one of the most prevalent. For this reason and because there are few studies that have examined the influence of anxiety on attentional activities, this study aims to determine how internalizing difficulties (anxiety levels) can influence performance in a virtual reality continuous performance test. The study used a non-probabilistic clinical sample comprising 68 boys (66%) and 35 girls (34%) aged between 6 and 16 (M = 12.24; SD = 2.45) who had been referred to clinical services for the evaluation of ADHD symptoms. Once informed consent was given, the children were administered the STAI-C scale and a virtual reality continuous performance test by expert researchers. Hierarchical regression models showed that only state anxiety demonstrated significant explanatory power over attentional variables. These findings confirm how important it is for children to feel relaxed when they undergo psychological evaluation tests, as otherwise the individual's intervention design would be based on biased data. Similarly, the findings also suggested an effect of IQ in the interpretation of continuous performance scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the persistence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) into adulthood and adolescence, there are few objective, reliable instruments (based on patient performance) that have been shown to be able to predict current and retrospective ADHD symptoms. The present study aimed to explore whether a validated VR test called Nesplora Aquarium is able to predict ADHD symptoms in adults and adolescents, based on both current and retrospective self-reports. A non-clinical sample of 156 adults and adolescents (70 women and 86 men) between 16 and 54 years of age (M = 21.23, SD = 8.04) took part in the study. Virtual reality (VR) variables such as the number of correct answers, omission and commission errors, among others, were used to predict current and retrospective self-reported symptoms of ADHD using multiple regression models. Correct answers and omission errors in the VR test significantly predicted both current and retrospective ADHD symptoms. However, only the number of perseveration errors and gender were able to significantly predict retrospective ADHD symptoms. These findings suggest that inattention problems tend to remain after adolescence, while perseveration errors (which have been related to impulsive behavior) and gender differences tend to diminish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Training in neurofeedback (NF) reduces the symptomatology associated with attention deficit with hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, ADHD differs in terms of the type of presentation, i.e., inattentive (ADHD-I), impulsive/hyperactive (ADHD-HI), or combined (ADHD-C). This study examines the efficacy of NF in ADHD presentations. Participants were 64 students (8–12 years old). Cortical activation, executive control, and observed symptomatology by parents were assessed. Results indicated that ADHD-C and ADHD-HI demonstrated greater improvements than ADHD-I. It was concluded that this kind of training produces an improvement and that it is necessary to explore it further in terms of the protocol used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined the effects of Trait Anxiety on attentional task performance in children with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). 220 students between 8 and 12 years performed two neuropsychological tasks related to selective and sustained attention. They were classified into four groups: ADHD + ANX, students with ADHD and Trait Anxiety ( n = 73); ADHD ( n = 53); ANX, a group with Trait Anxiety ( n = 15); and a non-clinical control group ( n = 41). Results offer evidence in both attentional tasks that the ADHD group performed worse than the non-clinical control and ANX groups, and the ANX group achieved similar results to the control group. Finally, the trait anxiety factor did not contribute to the performance of the different attentional tasks in the ADHD + ANX group. These results suggest important differences in ADHD symptomatology and comorbidity, indicating implications of these measures for differential diagnosis and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This comparative study investigated the productivity and the process of written composition in students with and without disabilities between 8 and 16 years of age. Participants were assigned to four groups as follows: (a) 59 with both attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) and writing learning disabilities (WLD), (b) 40 with ADHD, (c) 115 with WLD, and (d) 124 normal achievers (control group). Students' writing productivity was assessed by means of a compare-and-contrast essay task and a writing log that registered the processes involved in composition writing using seven categories. The findings render insight into the way children and youth with ADHD and WLD produce text and how much time they dedicate to the various writing subtasks. Among other things, students with ADHD and WLD spend much less time than normal peers thinking about a written composition or reviewing it, which negatively affects the level of coherence and quality of their texts. A critical discussion of the findings and their psychoeducational implications is included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]