Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35593452›Full record

ArticleCNS spectrums2023

Attentional problems occur across multiple psychiatric disorders and are not specific for ADHD.

Jon E Grant, Samuel R Chamberlain

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in CNS spectrums, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Neurofeedback for Training of Attention and Related Cognitive Functions.Clinical psychopharmacology and neuroscience : the official scientific journal of the Korean College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026
    Review
  3. Article
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  7. Transdiagnostic Attentional Deficits Are Associated with Depressive and Externalizing Symptoms in Children and Adolescents with Neuropsychiatric Disorders.Archives of clinical neuropsychology : the official journal of the National Academy of Neuropsychologists · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Jon E GrantDepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-7784-7021
Samuel R ChamberlainDepartment of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.

Funding

Wellcome Trust 110049
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveAttentional problems are common and have been associated with multiple psychiatric disorders. This study examined problems of sustained attention across a range of psychiatric disorders using a validated computerized trans-diagnostic attentional paradigm (a continuous performance task). We hypothesized that multiple psychiatric disorders, particularly attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), would be associated with pronounced attentional problems.

methodsTotally, 576 non-treatment seeking participants (aged 18-29 years) were enrolled from general community settings, provided demographic variables, and underwent clinical assessments to detect mental health disorders. Each participant underwent the rapid visual information processing task, a validated computerized test measuring sustained attention. The two measures of sustained attention were the sensitivity index and target detection (proportion of targets detected). The profile of attentional deficits was examined across different disorders using

resultsParticipants with social phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), bulimia nervosa, and intermittent explosive disorder showed the greater impairment in target sensitivity, all with effect sizes of at least 0.8. Target detection was impaired across multiple disorders, with OCD and binge eating disorder exhibiting the most pronounced impairment. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and compulsive sexual behavior were associated with particularly spared performance on both measures. DISCUSSION: These data indicate that impaired attention is non-specific for ADHD and in fact several other disorders are associated with markedly larger deficits. Instead of clinicians assuming sustained attention problems are due to ADHD, a variety of disorders should be screened for when people report attentional problems. Future work should examine the contribution of comorbidities and psychoactive substances (prescribed or illicit) to the profiles identified.

Indexed as

Attention Deficit Disorder with HyperactivityDisruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct DisordersObsessive-Compulsive DisorderComorbidityHumansNeuropsychological TestsADHDAttentionfocusimpulsivity

Identifiers

PMID35593452
PMCPMC7614601

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.