Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40084601›Full record

ArticleJournal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines2025

Cognitive disengagement syndrome and depressive symptoms in early adolescents: Examining the moderating role of a negative interpretation bias.

Melissa C Miller, Olivia R Baron, Jeffery N Epstein, Leanne Tamm, Alex C Nyquist, Stephen P Becker

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Melissa C MillerDivision of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Olivia R BaronDivision of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Jeffery N EpsteinDivision of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Leanne TammDivision of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Alex C NyquistDivision of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Stephen P BeckerDivision of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-9046-5183

Funding

LCenter for Clinical and Translational Science and TrainingUL1TR001425 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI · PI HEUBI, JAMES E., KISSELA, BRETT M · 2015 to 2024
$37.5M
Longitudinal Examination of Sluggish Cognitive Tempo and Internalizing Psychopathology in AdolescenceR01MH122415 · NIMH · CINCINNATI CHILDRENS HOSP MED CTR · PI BECKER, STEPHEN P · 2021 to 2025
$3.8M
NCATS NIH HHS 5UL1TR001425-04NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR001425NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH122415NIMH NIH HHS R01MH122415
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDespite previous research demonstrating an independent association between cognitive disengagement syndrome (CDS; previously termed sluggish cognitive tempo) and depressive symptoms, studies have yet to examine what factors may moderate this link. A negative interpretation bias (i.e., maladaptive information processing whereby emotionally aversive meaning is perceived in ambiguous situations) is associated with the development and maintenance of depression and may moderate the association between CDS and depression. Using a multi-informant, multi-method design, this study examined whether negative interpretation bias exacerbated the association between CDS and depressive symptoms.

methods336 adolescents (ages 10-12 years; 52.7% female; 61.9% White) and their caregivers completed measures of CDS and depressive symptoms. Adolescents completed the Scrambled Sentences Test, a task-based measure of interpretation bias. Regression analyses were conducted to examine interpretation bias as a potential moderator of the association between CDS and depressive symptoms.

resultsFor adolescent-reported depressive symptoms, higher caregiver- and adolescent-reported CDS symptoms and interpretation bias scores were each independently associated with higher depressive symptoms (all ps < .01), but CDS and interpretation bias did not interact in predicting depression (ps > .05). By contrast, significant CDS symptoms × interpretation bias interactions were found in models using both caregiver- and adolescent-reported CDS symptoms in relation to caregiver-reported depressive symptoms (ps = .01 and .003, respectively), such that CDS was more strongly associated with depression at higher levels of interpretation bias.

conclusionsNegative interpretation bias strengthens the association between CDS symptoms and depressive symptoms when depressive symptoms are rated by caregivers, but not by adolescents. Findings highlight the importance of multiple informants when examining CDS and internalizing symptoms, with a need for longitudinal research to examine CDS and interpretation bias in relation to the progression and maintenance of depression across adolescence.

Indexed as

Cognitive DysfunctionDepressionAdolescentChildFemaleHumansMaleCognitive disengagement syndromedepressioninformant discrepanciesnegative interpretation biassluggish cognitive tempo

Identifiers

PMID40084601
PMCPMC12350815

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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.