Cognitive and personality differences between adolescents with and without attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Abstract

Background: The relationships between cognitive and personality profile in teenagers with and without ADHD were assessed. Method: Two groups of teenagers, one with ADHD (N = 135; mean age = 13.93) and another group without ADHD (N = 199, mean age = 14.29) were evaluated using the K-BIT and 16PF-APQ tests. Results: In cognitive variables, the results revealed that the ADHD group returned higher scores in the Matrices subtest and the IQ test. In personality variables, the group with ADHD exhibited higher scores in Tough-Mindedness and lower scores in Self-Control than the group without the disorder. The canonical correlation analysis applied to each group revealed a differing pattern of interrelationships between the cognitive-personality variables in the two groups. In adolescents with ADHD, we observed that higher scores in cognitive variables were associated with a more extroverted personality and less self-control, while in adolescents without ADHD, higher scores in cognitive variables were associated with less tough-mindedness and lower levels of self-control. Conclusions: The cognitive and personality variables of adolescents with and without ADHD differ. These results will be useful for establishing a cognitive and personality profile for this section of the population. The educational implications of the study are under discussion.

Keywords

• Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Adolescents
• Cognitive traits
• Personality
• Educational implications