Temperament and personality profile of children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a...

This study aimed to determine the temperament and personality profile of children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) through a systematic review and meta-analyses of published data.

We searched PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science in October 2021 (the PubMed search was updated in September 2024) to identify case-control studies of children and adolescents (= 18 years of age) with and without ADHD that reported on temperament or personality. The association between temperament or personality domains and ADHD status was measured with standardized mean differences (SMD). Data across studies were pooled with inverse variance random-effects meta-analyses. Risk of bias was assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.

A total of 31 studies including 2,525 children and adolescents with ADHD and 3,039 controls were included. The meta-analyses demonstrated that children and adolescents with ADHD had higher negative affectivity (SMD = 0.79, 95%CI 0.56 to 1.03) and lower effortful control (Rothbart's construct) (SMD = -1.43, 95%CI -2.14 to -0.72), higher emotionality (SMD = 1.01, 95%CI 0.64 to 1.38) and higher activity (Buss & Plomin's construct)(SMD = 0.96, 95%CI 0.74 to 1.17), lower distractibility (SMD = -0.74, 95%CI -1.22 to -0.26) and lower adaptability (Thomas & Chess's construct)(SMD = -1.01, 95%CI -1.93 to -0.10), higher novelty seeking (SMD = 1.19, 95%CI 0.87 to 1.51) and lower persistence (Cloninger's construct)(SMD = -1.07, 95%CI -1.33 to -0.81), and higher neuroticism (SMD = 0.92, 95%CI 0.37 to 1.48), higher extraversion (SMD = 0.27, 95%CI -0.13 to 0.67), and lower conscientiousness (five-factor model)(SMD = -0.95, 95%CI -1.85 to -0.04). As limitations, few studies reported all temperament or personality subscales, raising concerns about selective reporting and bias, while the heterogeneity of instruments and case/control definitions further challenged data pooling and interpretation. Consequently, the meta-analyses yielded limited evidence.

Children and adolescents with ADHD have greater negative affectivity/emotionality and lower effortful control/persistence/conscientiousness. However, these findings were based on relatively few studies, and there was considerable between-study variability. Future research should investigate whether temperament or personality have clinical implications for those with ADHD.