Emotion Recognition Accuracy Among Individuals With ADHD: A Systematic Review

The aim of the present systematic review was to consolidate findings related to emotion recognition accuracy among individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The review also examined emotion recognition accuracy assessment methods as well as the contribution of gender to emotional recognition accuracy.

A total of 43 articles were identified based on inclusion criteria using PRISMA guidelines for article retrieval.

58% of retrieved articles reported significantly decreased emotion recognition accuracy among individuals with ADHD relative to neurotypical peers, with either global or emotion-specific differences identified. Notably, studies finding a significant difference in emotion recognition accuracy were of significantly lower quality according to a quality review checklist than the articles finding no difference (p < .001). For example, when use of control conditions and multiple measures of emotion recognition accuracy were employed, no study found a significant difference in emotion recognition accuracy between individuals with and without ADHD. Regarding potential gender differences, not a single study included gender diversity beyond sex assigned at birth. The majority (86%) of studies included a predominantly male sample, with 15% including only male participants. While differences in emotion recognition accuracy were found between male and female participants in 7% of cases, future research is needed to identify the contribution of gender diversity.