This study looked at 81 adults with a formal ADHD diagnosis. Most of them (67) reported the diagnosis themselves, and 14 had it confirmed by a clinical interview. They were found through convenience and snowball sampling. Their average age was 38, with a range from 18 to 79. Three in four were female (75%). Most were White (83%), and 40% were taking ADHD medication at the time.
The researchers asked whether positive childhood experiences were tied to how well these adults managed their emotions. On their own, more positive childhood experiences went with fewer emotion regulation problems. More social support also went with fewer problems. But when both were looked at together, childhood experiences had no direct link to emotion regulation.
Instead, the link ran through social support. Adults with more positive childhood experiences had more social support, and more support went with better emotion regulation. This held for social support overall. It also held for three kinds of support: a sense of belonging, self-esteem, and practical help. A fourth kind, called appraisal support, showed no such link.
The study measured everything at one point in time, so it cannot show cause and effect. The sample was small and mostly White, educated women, which is not typical of people with ADHD. The adults' own reports of ADHD were not checked independently.
The numbers Stats and what the terms mean
The statistics behind the plain-language claims above.
- Lowe, 2024: indirect link from positive childhood experiences to emotion regulation through total social support, β = −.70, 95% CI [−1.32, −0.17].
- Lowe, 2024: indirect link through belonging, β = −.43, 95% CI [−0.87, −0.05].
- Lowe, 2024: indirect link through self-esteem, β = −.61, 95% CI [−1.08, −0.27].
- Lowe, 2024: indirect link through tangible (practical) support, β = −.50, 95% CI [−1.07, −0.02].
- Lowe, 2024: direct link from positive childhood experiences to emotion regulation, β = −.42, p = .287.
- Lowe, 2024: indirect link through appraisal support, β = −.32, 95% CI [−0.88, 0.16].
- Lowe, 2024: social support and emotion regulation difficulties, r = −.48, p < .001.
- Lowe, 2024: positive childhood experiences and emotion regulation, r = −.34, p = .002. What the terms mean:
- β is the estimated strength of a link in the study's model. A minus sign shows the direction of the change, not its size.
- 95% CI is the range the true value likely falls in. If the range does not cross zero, the link is unlikely to be down to chance.
- p is how likely a result this large would be by chance alone if there were no real link. Smaller means less likely.
- r shows how closely two things move together, from −1 to 1. A minus sign means one goes up as the other goes down.
Source: Catherine Lowe, Alexandra C. Bath, Brandy L. Callahan, et al.. Positive Childhood Experiences and the Indirect Relationship With Improved Emotion Regulation in Adults With ADHD Through Social Support. Journal of Attention Disorders (2024). doi:10.1177/10870547241261826