A Blended Intervention Targeting Emotion Dysregulation in Adults With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder:...

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Digital Health

Background:

• Adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often struggle with emotion regulation, impacting their quality of life.
• Existing treatments do not specifically target emotion dysregulation in adult ADHD.
• There is a need for novel interventions addressing these challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel blended intervention for adults with ADHD targeting emotion dysregulation.
• To assess the feasibility, including adherence, satisfaction, and credibility, of this new intervention.
• To evaluate the initial clinical outcomes of the blended intervention on ADHD symptoms and related difficulties.

Main Methods:

• An 8-week blended intervention combining face-to-face group sessions and a digital companion app.
• The intervention integrated dialectical behavior therapy skills and positive psychology principles.
• A 10-week feasibility study with 16 adults with ADHD and emotion dysregulation, using a pre-post design.

Main Results:

• High participant satisfaction and perceived treatment credibility were reported.
• Adherence was moderate, with participants attending an average of 6.2 group sessions and completing 6.7 app modules.
• Significant reductions in emotion dysregulation (d=2.0), inattention (d=1.1), and hyperactivity-impulsivity (d=0.9) were observed.

Conclusions:

• The blended intervention is feasible and shows promise for improving emotion dysregulation in adults with ADHD.
• The combination of group sessions and a digital app offers potential benefits for skills training and peer support.
• Further randomized controlled trials are warranted to confirm the clinical effectiveness of this intervention.