ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. ADHD
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1658202
This article is part of the Research TopicAdvances in Clinical Neuropsychology and Interplay with Mental Health in Several Health ConditionsView all 4 articles
Multidimensional Factors Associated with ADHD Core Symptoms in Children: Cognition, Sleep, Behavior, and Demographics
Provisionally accepted
- 1the People's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region & Institute of Brain and Mental Diseases, Guangxi Academy of Medical Sciences, Nanning, China
- 2University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia
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Objective Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) involves inattention (IA) and hyperactivity-impulsivity (HI), which may be linked to distinct developmental and behavioral profiles. This study examined the demographic, cognitive, sleep, and behavioral factors associated with IA and HI symptoms among children. Methods A cross-sectional sample of 331 children aged 6–12 years (mean = 8.61 ± 1.60 years; 79.2% male), diagnosed with ADHD, participated in this study between December 2020 and December 2022. ADHD symptoms were assessed via Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham Rating Scale-IV (SNAP-IV); cognitive function with Chinese version of the Das-Naglieri Cognitive Assessment System (DN:CAS); sleep via the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children; and behavior using the Conners Parent Symptom Questionnaire. Results Regression analyses showed that HI symptoms were negatively associated with age (β = –0.197, p < 0.001) and higher in boys (β = –0.156, p = 0.004), while IA symptoms remained stable across age and gender. IA was significantly related to attentional deficits (β = –0.146, p = 0.037) and learning problems (β = 0.477, p < 0.001). HI showed stronger associations with oppositional behavior (β = 0.411, p < 0.001), sleep-wake disturbances (β = 0.164, p = 0.003), and low anxiety (β = –0.121, p = 0.033). Conclusion These findings support dimension-specific understanding and targeted management of ADHD symptoms.
Keywords: ADHD, inattention, Hyperactivity-impulsivity, Cognitive Function, Sleep disturbances
Received: 03 Jul 2025; Accepted: 11 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Fu, Qin, Qin, Zhang, Liu, Huang and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Ling Qin, lingqin924@163.com
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