ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship of the Comprehensive Attention (CAT), Stoop Color-Word (STROOP), Children's Color Trails (CCTT), and Wisconsin Card Sorting Tests (WCST) in evaluating the executive function in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHODS: A total of 197 children and adolescents with ADHD (mean age 10.4+/-3.2 years, 173 boys) and 62 without ADHD (mean age 11.8+/-3.5 years, 48 boys) have completed the Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham-IV questionnaire (SNAP-IV), and also the CAT, STROOP, CCTT and WCST. RESULTS: The selective, sustained, divided attention and Flanker tests of the CAT significantly discriminated between the ADHD and non-ADHD groups. The results of the CCTT were significantly correlated with the results of the CAT only in the ADHD group. The results of the STROOP were associated with selective, sustained, divided attention and Flanker tests. The results of the WCST were significantly correlated with the scores of the Working Memory subtest of the CAT only in the non-ADHD group. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that the CAT has strong discriminant validity and moderate concurrent validity. The CAT could be a tool for the evaluation of the executive function of ADHD.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Animals , Cats , Child , Humans , Executive Function , Memory, Short-Term , Surveys and Questionnaires , Stroop Test , WisconsinABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of the Comprehensive Attention Test (CAT) by comparing the results of the continuous performance test (CPT) and the CAT in children and adolescents with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHOD: A total of 110 children and adolescents with ADHD (mean age : 11.2+/-2.9 years, 76 boys) and 36 children and adolescents without ADHD (mean age : 12.0+/-2.7 years, 25 boys) completed the CAT. We compared the specificity and sensitivity of the CPT and CAT at two different cut-off points via the McNemar test. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) between the two groups were compared using Medcalc software. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity of the CPT were .419 and .806, respectively. The sensitivity of the CAT was .827, which was significantly higher than that of the CPT (p<.001), and the specificity of CAT is .444, which was significantly lower than that of CPT (p<.001). The AUC of the CPT and CAT was .664 and .692, respectively, and there were no significant difference between the two groups on the paired comparison (p=.513). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that the CAT has moderate specificity and high sensitivity. The CAT can be used as a useful tool to evaluate the neuropsychological function of children and adolescents with ADHD.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Animals , Cats , Child , Humans , Area Under Curve , Matched-Pair Analysis , ROC Curve , Sensitivity and SpecificityABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of the Comprehensive Attention Test (CAT) by comparing the results of the continuous performance test (CPT) and the CAT in children and adolescents with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHOD: A total of 110 children and adolescents with ADHD (mean age : 11.2+/-2.9 years, 76 boys) and 36 children and adolescents without ADHD (mean age : 12.0+/-2.7 years, 25 boys) completed the CAT. We compared the specificity and sensitivity of the CPT and CAT at two different cut-off points via the McNemar test. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) between the two groups were compared using Medcalc software. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity of the CPT were .419 and .806, respectively. The sensitivity of the CAT was .827, which was significantly higher than that of the CPT (p<.001), and the specificity of CAT is .444, which was significantly lower than that of CPT (p<.001). The AUC of the CPT and CAT was .664 and .692, respectively, and there were no significant difference between the two groups on the paired comparison (p=.513). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that the CAT has moderate specificity and high sensitivity. The CAT can be used as a useful tool to evaluate the neuropsychological function of children and adolescents with ADHD.