Age-related cognitive complaints and emotional difficulties associated with symptoms of ADHD: a study of gender...

Recent research suggests that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a risk factor for suboptimal cognitive and emotional aging. Due to menopause, women may be more vulnerable to these outcomes than men. This study quantifies age-related changes in the association between self-reported ADHD symptoms and cognitive and emotional complaints, comparing men and women.

Participants were 118 community adults aged 19-79 years (78.0% women). Most had a self-reported ADHD diagnosis (71.2%) or clinically significant ADHD symptoms (78.0%). All completed the self-report Connors Adult ADHD Rating Scale, the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire, the Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scales and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. Gender-stratified general linear models predicted cognitive and emotional difficulties from ADHD symptoms, testing age as a moderator.

ADHD symptoms showed moderate to strong correlations with all cognitive (.39 < r < .68) and emotional outcomes (.21 < r < .64). In men, the association between ADHD symptoms and cognitive (B = -0.009, p = .021, η _p ² = .23) and emotional impulsivity (B = -0.017, p = .012, η _p ² = .28) was less pronounced in older than younger participants. Theses patterns were not observed in women. In older women, the association between ADHD symptoms and self-reported cognitive failures was slightly weaker than in younger women (B = -0.017, p = .030, η _p ² = .05). Although this interaction was not statistically significant in men, the effect was of similar medium-sized magnitude (η _p ² = .08). All associations survived adjustments for depression and anxiety symptoms.

Some cognitive and emotional difficulties associated with ADHD symptoms were worse in younger than in older men, but age moderation was not observed in women. The cross-sectional design precludes any conclusions about causality, and it is possible that these results may be explained by greater self-disclosure in women than in men. Results are also interpreted cautiously in the context of relatively small sample size. Altogether, results support the need for a gender-specific lens when considering the lifespan impacts of ADHD symptoms and point to women as a potentially vulnerable segment of the ADHD population regarding cognitive and emotional aging.