Differences between self-assessments of attentional control, emotional and behavioral dysfunction, and cognitive processes in young colombian adults with and without subjective attentional complaints

Abstract

Subjective attentional complaints (SAC) can be common amongst young adults and seem to be related to externalized and internalized dysfunction. The relationships between self-assessments of attentional control and, emotional, behavioral, and cognitive dysfunction in young adults with SAC are not well understood. Across two groups (SAC and Without Subjective Attentional Complaints) we examined these associations in a sample of 112 participants, using the Adult ADHD Self Report Scale (ASRS-v11), the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF), the Stroop Color and Words Test (SCWT), and the Toulouse-Pieron Revised Test (TP-R). Our results indicate that being in the SAC group has a significant effect on the level of dysfunction reported but not on the performance in the attentional measures. When measuring the effect of Sex, only Behavioral Dysfunction showed a significant difference, with Men reporting higher levels than Women. In conclusion, self-assessments of attentional control seem to play an important role in the self-assessments of emotional, thought and behavioral dysfunction, and cognitive complaints. While the screening tests, like the ASRS-v1.1, could benefit from being used in conjunction with more direct measures when evaluating attentional processes. They also indicate that sex seems to incise in the level of externalizing dysfunction reported in young adults. These findings suggests that, for people with SAC, there is a need to understand the nature of their complaints and the effect they have in their quality of life, to better design possible treatments and diagnostic protocols.