Comparison of Working Memory and Executive Function in Patients with Internet Addiction Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and Normal Individuals

Background: Cognitive functions are higher-order cortical activities that include various parameters such as concentration, executive function, and working memory. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare cognitive functions in three groups of Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD), and normal people. Patients and Methods: This descriptive-analytical study included patients with ADHD, IAD, and normal individuals (26 normal individuals and 27 patients in each of the IAD and ADHD groups) who were evaluated by Conners’ Adult Scale, General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), Young Internet Addiction Test, and Persian Paper and Pencil Cognitive Assessment Package (PCAP). Data were analyzed by SPSS 23 software. The ANOVA test with Bonferroni’s pairwise comparison and chi-square test were used for data analysis at a significance level of 0.05. Results: The results showed that the ADHD subjects scored higher (P < 0.01) on the GHQ test and its subscales, as well as the Conners’ test. Also, patients with ADHD had lower scores on attention, concentration, and working memory scales than IAD and normal counterparts (P < 0.01). Working memory was weaker in IAD patients than normal subjects and ADHD and cognitive function is more damaged than IAD. Conclusions: The results showed that patients with ADHD had higher levels of impairment in working memory than IAD patients. Meanwhile, cognitive deficits were more sensible in ADHD.