Emotional Impulsivity and Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties Among Children With ADHD

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Children with ADHD often demonstrate impulsive shifts in emotion, characterized by sudden and intense shifts in affect. This study examined the effects of emotional impulsivity over time on the emotional and behavioral functioning of children with ADHD using ecological momentary assessment (EMA). METHOD: Twenty-seven 8- to 12-year-old children with ADHD, and their parents, completed baseline measures of the children's emotional and behavioral functioning. Parents and children then completed an EMA protocol, whereby they each rated the child's affect three times daily for 28 days. RESULTS: Hierarchical regression analyses strongly supported the relation of greater EMA-derived emotional impulsivity to children's increased emotional and behavioral difficulties. These effects were evident across reporters and were maintained after controlling for baseline emotion dysregulation. CONCLUSION: Overall, this study demonstrated the utility of EMA-based assessments and suggested that emotional impulsivity may play an important role in the emotional and behavioral functioning of children with ADHD.