Children's emotional reactivity and negative affect predict future ADHD symptom severity beyond initial ADHD symptom severity

Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often experience significant emotion dysregulation. However, there is limited longitudinal data on associations between multiple aspects of emotion dysregulation and ADHD symptoms. Additionally, given substantial evidence that increased levels and variability of negative affect (NA) are identified in children with ADHD, it is important to examine the role of NA in this relationship. The present study used momentary and longitudinal data to examine the relation between two aspects of emotion dysregulation (emotional lability and emotional reactivity), the two ADHD symptom clusters separately (inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive), total ADHD symptom severity, and NA variability over a period of six months. Participants (N = 68) were parents of children aged 7-12 years old (M = 9.80, SD = 1.34) who completed baseline and 6-month follow-up reports of children's ADHD symptoms and emotion dysregulation as well as ecological momentary assessments (EMA) of their children's NA for one week. Results were threefold: (1) children's emotional reactivity predicted inattentive, hyperactive/impulsive, and total ADHD symptom severity above and beyond initial ADHD symptom severity, but emotional lability did not significantly predict severity of any ADHD symptom cluster; (2) NA variability predicted hyperactive/impulsive and total ADHD symptom severity, but not inattentive severity; and (3) initial ADHD symptom severity did not predict emotion dysregulation at follow-up. The current study provides novel insight regarding the longitudinal influence of specific aspects of emotion dysregulation and NA on ADHD symptom severity in children and suggests that targeting emotional reactivity could minimize ADHD symptom severity.

Seasonal Variations in the Severity of ADHD Symptoms in the Dutch General Population

OBJECTIVE

This is the first study to examine self-reported seasonal differences in the severity of ADHD symptoms in adults from the general population.

METHOD

Data were analyzed from N = 5,303 respondents participating in the second wave of the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study-2, a population-based study on mental health. ADHD symptoms were assessed using the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale Screener. As indicators of the severity of ADHD symptoms, the total ADHD symptom score and inattention and hyperactivity subscale scores were examined.

RESULTS

Compared with participants who were assessed in autumn, total ADHD and inattention subscale scores were significantly higher among participants who were assessed in spring or summer; the hyperactivity subscale score was significantly higher in spring.

CONCLUSION

We found seasonal variations in the severity of ADHD symptoms, which was highest in those assessed in spring and summer. Researchers should be aware of this in the diagnostic process.