Problematic digital use in adolescents with ADHD: impulsivity, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and perceived cognitive...

Area of Science:

• Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• Neurodevelopmental Disorders
• Digital Health

Background:

• Adolescents with ADHD are at increased risk for problematic digital use (PDU).
• PDU is characterized by loss of control and functional impairment, not just screen time.
• This study examines internet, social media, and gaming use in adolescents with ADHD.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate problematic digital use in adolescents with ADHD.
• Focus on the roles of impulsivity, obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms, and perceived cognitive flexibility.
• Compare digital use patterns between adolescents with ADHD and healthy controls.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional case-control study of 132 adolescents (69 with ADHD, 63 controls), aged 12-18.
• Utilized self-report measures for problematic digital use, impulsivity, OC symptoms, and cognitive flexibility.
• ADHD diagnoses confirmed with the K-SADS-PL; adjusted logistic regression models were employed.

Main Results:

• Problematic internet and social media use were more frequent in the ADHD group.
• Impulsivity and OC symptom severity were independently associated with problematic internet use severity within the ADHD group.
• Impulsivity was a significant correlate of gaming symptoms; a preliminary interaction between OC symptoms and cognitive flexibility was noted for gaming.

Conclusions:

• Adolescents with ADHD exhibit higher frequencies of problematic internet and social media use compared to controls.
• Impulsivity consistently correlates with problematic digital use across different platforms.
• The role of cognitive flexibility requires further investigation in larger, independent samples.