The Relationship Between Alexithymia and Impulsiveness in Adult Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder

It has been emphasised recently that emotion regulation problems may be the core symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In this study, we aimed to determine the incidence of alexithymia, the relationship between alexithymia and impulsiveness, the severity of ADHD, depression and anxiety semptoms in adult ADHD.

All participants were assessed with the Structured Clinical Interview For DSM IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I); and completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS), the Impulsive Behavior Scale (UPPS), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Adult Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder Self Reporting Scale (ASRS) and the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS). The ADHD patients were also assessed with the Diagnostic Interview for ADHD (DIVA) for DSM-5 criteria.

The study included 101 ADHD patients with a mean age of 23.06 ± 4.24 years with 47.5% females, and 100 healthy control individuals with a mean age of 22.76 ± 5.68 years with 50% female participants. Alexithymia incidence was 41.5% in the ADHD group. The increase in the levels of impulsiveness, depression and anxiety correlated with the severity of ADHD symptoms; and impulsiveness predicted alexithymia in the ADHD group.

Alexithymia incidence was higher in the ADHD group. When ADHD and control participants were combined, alexithymic individuals was more associated with impulsivity with frequent display of anxiety symptoms.