Executive functions, effortful control, and emotional lability in adults with ADHD. implications for functional outcomes

Abstract

Adults with diagnosis of childhood attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) experience impairments in self-regulation (SR). This study examined whether subgroups of these impairments can be established based on differentiable patterns. The relationships between these subgroups and a group without ADHD were then analyzed, focusing on functional outcomes. Executive functions, effortful control, and emotional lability, in addition to self-concept, quality of life, and different comorbidities, were evaluated in 61 adults with a childhood diagnosis of ADHD and 54 adults without ADHD. Latent profile analysis (LPA) revealed three ADHD classes based on different self-regulation indicators: "Normalized" (49.18%), "Moderate impairments" (27.86%), and "Severe generalized impairments" (22.96%), who were compared with a Non-ADHD group on different functional measures. The "Normalized" profile showed significantly less dysfunctionality than the other two profiles, and it only exhibited significant differences with respect to the Non-ADHD group on the Hyperactivity index. By contrast, the "Severe generalized impairments" group, with the lowest self-regulatory skills, was impaired on all the functional outcomes. Self-regulatory skills could be a key target in interventions for adults with ADHD.

Keywords: ADHD; Effortful control; Emotional lability; Ex post facto study; Executive functions.