Examining Sleep Duration and Difficulties, among School-aged Children between Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Subtypes Relation to Cognitive Functioning, and Academic Achievement

Abstract

Inadequate sleep impacts cognitive functioning, learning, and memory (Gruber et al., 2012; Hysing et al., 2016; Spruyt, 2021) and can be made worse when combined with comorbid conditions such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (Beebe, 2011; O’Brien, 2011; Spruyt, 2021). Effects of poor sleep present challenges throughout a child’s life, both at school and home that can be life-long. The high prevalence of ADHD in children and the effects of inadequate sleep make this a public health issue. The existing literature has not thoroughly examined the specific cognitive and academic skills that are affected by inadequate sleep, thus presenting a need for a more comprehensive understanding of what specific skills are impacted to build targeted interventions and increase public awareness. The current study examined cognitive functioning including academic abilities in a sample of children and adolescents ages seven to seventeen with a diagnosis of either ADHD-inattentive subtype or ADHD-combined subtype (n=109). These abilities were compared with parent reported sleep duration and difficulties (trouble falling asleep, trouble staying asleep, trouble waking up). The results of the current study were largely insignificant. The overall sample sleep duration met national recommendations (M= 9.52). Individuals ages seven to thirteen had a longer sleep duration than those ages fourteen to sixteen. Males were found to sleep more than females. Significant sex differences were found in sleep difficulties trouble staying asleep and waking up. Sleep duration was found to predict performance only on the WRAML-II Immediate Story Memory and Delayed Story Memory tasks. These results create question to the symptom presentation of ADHD subtypes as it does not match the difficulties frequently related to this condition and highlights a need for future studies examining specific cognitive skills in relation to sleep duration and difficulties.