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Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome But Not ADHD Symptoms Increases Risk for Child Body Mass Index: Examination in a Sample of Clinically Referred Youth

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Abstract

Given the substantial increase in pediatric obesity rates in recent decades, its long-term stability, and its pervasive negative outcomes, continuous efforts to identify factors that may place children at increased risk for overweight or obesity (OW/OB) are essential. As such, the primary aim of the present investigation was to examine the extent to which symptoms of Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome (CDS; i.e., Sluggish Cognitive Tempo) relates to child body mass index (BMI) independent of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The study is the first to examine whether CDS subdomains of slowed thinking, hypoarousal, and daydreamy is associated with BMI. Analyses included data from 72 clinically-referred children (46 males, 26 females) aged 4–12 years old (M = 8.41, SD = 2.48). CDS and ADHD were assessed using standardized parent-report rating scales, and children’s BMI was collected at the time of encounter. Bayesian hierarchical regression models revealed no evidence that overall CDS symptoms or ADHD symptoms (overall and subdomain) predicted child BMI. However, models did provide moderate evidence that hypoarousal and daydream subdomains jointly predicted BMI independent of ADHD (BF10 = 19.28–21.87). The present study suggests that CDS is a risk factor for obesity in young children and future research is needed to inform clinical interventions and to provide further understanding of the relatively nuanced association between CDS symptoms and obesity.

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Data Availability

Dataset is openly available at http://bit.ly/3y1ESjw to facilitate peer review.

Notes

  1. Two children had missing data for SES.

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Funding

No funding was received to assist with the preparation of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Delanie K. Roberts

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Department of Pediatrics, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA

    Dustin E. Sarver

  3. Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA

    Domynic D. Elder

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  1. Delanie K. Roberts
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  2. Dustin E. Sarver
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  3. Domynic D. Elder
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Contributions

DKR: Conceptualization, formal analysis, data curation, writing—original draft preparation. DES: Conceptualization, methodology, writing—original draft preparation, supervision. DDE: Conceptualization, validation, writing—review and editing.

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Correspondence to Dustin E. Sarver.

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Approval was obtained from the ethics committee of University of Mississippi Medical Center. The procedures used in this study adhere to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki.

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Roberts, D.K., Sarver, D.E. & Elder, D.D. Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome But Not ADHD Symptoms Increases Risk for Child Body Mass Index: Examination in a Sample of Clinically Referred Youth. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-023-01612-y

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