Social and leadership abilities in attention defi cit/hyperactivity disorder: relation with cognitive-attentional capacities

Abstract

Objective. We have analyzed social and leadership abilities in children with ADHD and their relationship with execution of tasks involving sustained attention and inhibitory control.

Patients and methods. A retrospective analysis of 170 patients with ADHD was performed. We evaluated leadership and social abilities, measured through the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC) and their relations with the results of different neuropsychological tests, including Wechsler scale for children (WISC-IV) and Conners´ continuous performance (CPT II).

Results. In the differential analysis between the IQ, results of the tests and their relation to BASC scores, a statistically significant relation was observed between attentional capacity expected according to the patient’s intelligence and social skills scores (according to BASC filled out by mothers and teachers) and leadership (according to all informants) sections.

Conclusiones. Attentional difficulties are closely related to social competence in patients with ADHD, either by a direct cause-effect relationship or a shared dysexecutive substrate of this disorder.