The Relationship of Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms With Depression and Anxiety: The Mediator Role of Cognitive Emotion Regulation Strategies

Adult ADHD is a disorder in which attention deficit and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms are observed. It persists in adulthood, is often comorbid by other psychiatric disorders, and negatively affects the functionality of individuals. The first aim of this study is to examine the relationship of ADHD with depression and anxiety symptoms. The second aim is to understand whether cognitive emotion regulation strategies mediate the relationship of ADHD with depression and anxiety. Another aim is to examine whether ADHD symptoms differ according to gender. There were 252 participants, 164 female and 88 male, in the study. The sample consists mostly of young adults. Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Self-Report Scale, Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire and SCL-90 Depression and Anxiety Subscales were used as data collection tools. Participation in the research was based on volunteerism. According to the findings of the study, as attention deficit, hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms, self-blame, blaming others, accepting, rumination and catastrophizing increase, depression and anxiety scores also increase. On the other hand, depression and anxiety symptoms decreased as age, positive refocus, positive reappraisal, and refocus on planning increased. While gender, inattention, self-blame, refocus on planning, and catastrophizing strategies predicted depression symptoms; age, inattention, rumination, catastrophizing, and refocus on planning predicted anxiety symptoms. According to the mediator variable analysis results, while symptoms of attention deficit increase, catastrophizing increases, and as a result, symptoms of anxiety and depression intensify. As the symptoms of attention deficit increase, the strategy of refocusing on the plan is used less and the strategy of self-blame is used more often, resulting in increased depression. The findings are discussed within the framework of the related literature.