Dados do Trabalho

Título

Network analysis of narrative discourse and ADHD symptoms in adults

Introdução

Previous research investigating language in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has demonstrated several deficits in many aspects. However, no previous study employed quantitative methodology providing objective measures that could be compared among different studies with diverse samples. Several studies have investigated language ADHD children. However, there was no data regarding the narrative discourse of ADHD adults.

Objetivo

To investigate how ADHD symptomatology impacts the language of ADHD adults.

Método

Fifty-eight adults (34 females and 24 males) with mean age of 26 years old and mean of 17 years of educational level were administered the ASRS for ADHD symptomatology. They also completed the STAI, BDI, and the UPPS. IQ was calculated. Individuals were asked to tell a story based on a wordless picture book. The speech was recorded and transcribed as an input to SpeechGraphs software. Parameters were total number of words (TNW), number of loops of one node (L1), repeated edges (RE), largest strongly connected component (LSC), and average shortest path (ASP). L1 and RE are measures of short recurrences in speech; LSC is a measure of long recurrences in speech and a parameter of the connectedness of spoken discourse. ASP is a measure of network size. Verbosity was controlled. Statistical analysis was corrected for multiples comparisons and partial correlations were performed for confounding variables. Results were controlled for anxiety, depression, IQ, and impulsiveness.

Resultados

The total narrative time was positively correlated with ADHD symptoms (r = .292; p < 0.05) and hyperactivity-impulsivity dimension (r = .335; p < 0.010). The ND of ADHD subjects presented higher values for short-range recurrences (pL1 < 0.024), and higher values for network size measurement (pASP < 0.034). The ND of ADHD subjects presented lower values for long recurrence measurement (pLSC < 0.014) than non-ADHD subjects. The TNW in the ND showed a moderate correlation with ADHD symptoms (r = .334; p < 0.010) and hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms (r = .375; p < 0.004). L1 had positive correlation with symptoms of ADHD (r = .403; p < 0.002). ADHD symptoms negatively correlated with long-range recurrences (rLSC = - .315; p < 0.016), and with hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms (rLSC = - .319; p < 0.015).

Conclusão

Adults with ADHD have less connectivity and a tendency to higher verbosity in speech, which seems to persist despite the effects of formal education and intelligence on language.

Palavras-chave

ADHD; language; network analysis