What is it about?
ADHD is often discussed as a single condition, but people can experience very different combinations of symptoms, including inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and cognitive disengagement symptoms, such as lethargy, daydreaming or mental fogginess. This meta-analysis combined results from 115 studies involving over 24,000 participants to better understand how different ADHD symptoms relate to cognitive functioning. We examined a wide range of cognitive abilities, including attention, memory, processing speed, reasoning, and executive functioning. While all symptoms were associated with broad cognitive difficulties, important differences emerged after accounting for symptom overlap. Inattention was most strongly linked to perceptual-motor, executive, and reasoning difficulties, hyperactivity-impulsivity was most strongly related to difficulties with social cognition and sustained attention, and cognitive disengagement was associated with slower cognitive processing and difficulty ignoring distracting information. These findings help clarify how different ADHD and cognitive disengagement symptoms relate to cognition and may support more individualized approaches to assessment and intervention.
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Why is it important?
Many people with ADHD or attention-related difficulties are treated as though they have the same underlying challenges, but our research suggests the picture is more complex. Different symptom patterns may be linked to different cognitive strengths and weaknesses. Understanding these differences is important because it could eventually lead to more personalized supports in education, mental health, and clinical care - helping individuals receive interventions better matched to their specific difficulties.
Perspectives
My interest in ADHD research began through personal experience observing how differently this neurodevelopmental condition can present across individuals. Although people may share the same diagnosis, their patterns of behaviour, cognitive functioning, strengths, and challenges can vary enormously. I became especially interested in children and adults who experience attention difficulties alongside symptoms such as excessive daydreaming, mental fogginess, slowed behaviour, and lethargy. These features are currently described as cognitive disengagement syndrome (CDS), a condition that frequently overlaps with ADHD but remains poorly understood. This meta-analysis grew from my interest in understanding whether CDS and different ADHD symptom dimensions are associated with meaningful differences in cognitive functioning. I hope this research contributes to a more nuanced understanding of ADHD and CDS, and ultimately supports more individualized approaches to assessment and intervention.
Nicole Stuart
University of Western Australia
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Hyperactivity–impulsivity, inattention, and cognitive disengagement syndrome: A meta-analytic investigation of overlapping and differential cognitive associations., Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science, April 2026, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/abn0001121.
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