Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2025 Jul 24. doi: 10.1007/s00787-025-02819-1. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
This study employed network analysis to examine the co-occurrence patterns of emotional dysregulation (ED) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in clinically referred children and adolescents. A total of 13,207 children and adolescents meeting the research criteria were included in the analysis. ED was assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire-dysregulation profile (SDQ-DP), while ADHD symptoms were evaluated using The Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham Rating Scale-IV, parent-report version (SNAP-IV). The study examined central and bridging symptoms within the network model. The research identified that the node SNAP-2 (“Often has difficulty sustaining attention in tasks or play activities”) is the most central symptom in the ED-ADHD co-occurrence network model. Nodes SDQ-2 (“Restless, overactive, cannot stay still for long”), SDQ-13 (“Often unhappy, depressed or tearful”), and SDQ-5 (“Often loses temper”) emerged as core symptoms within the ED community, indicating that excitability, depression, and irritability are common subtypes of emotional dysregulation in the co-occurrence model. Bridging symptoms include node SDQ-2 (“Restless, overactive, cannot stay still for long”), node SDQ-15 (“Easily distracted, concentration wanders”), and node SNAP-14 (“Often is ‘on the go’ or acts as if ‘driven by a motor'”), linking hyperactive/impulsive symptoms and attention deficits with co-occurring emotional dysregulation. The core and bridging symptoms identified in this study may serve as targets for prevention and treatment of co-occurring ED and ADHD in clinical children and adolescents. The most common subtypes of emotional dysregulation symptoms co-occurring with ADHD represent targets for personalized treatment.
PMID:40705055 | DOI:10.1007/s00787-025-02819-1
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