Emotion recognition, social skills and adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is currently conceptualized as consisting of chronic symptoms of impulsivity, inattention, and hyperactivity that interfere with an individual's ability to function in multiple domains of his/her life and arise early in life (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). One theorist who has significantly influenced the current conceptualization of ADHD is Russell Barkley (1993; 1994a; 1994b; 1995; 1997), who proposed that the primary deficit present in ADHD is executive in nature, and involves deficits in the ability to inhibit responding. Barkley's model predicts deficits in the performance of social skills when competing responses exist, but he specifically predicted no deficits in the ability to accurately recognize and label the emotions displayed by others. In addition to deficits in the ability to delay responding, adults with ADHD are known to have significantly more problems with interpersonal problems and employment than do controls. However, to date, few studies have systematically examined the basis for the social/emotional problems faced by ADHD adults, especially those over age 30.; This study compared the performance of 33 adults with ADHD to 43 non-ADHD controls on measures of emotion recognition, social skills, and verbal responses to videotaped interpersonal interactions. Self-reports by ADHD adults indicated that they view themselves as less socially skilled, particularly in the areas of social expression and social control; yet, at the same time, they endorsed having greater sensitivity toward violations of social norms than did their non-ADHD counterparts. Expressive deficits also were observed in the actual verbal output of these individuals, who used fewer emotion words to describe emotional scenes and scored higher on a measure of alexithymia, yet rated the emotions they witnessed as more intense, than did non-ADHD controls. In contrast to Barkley's prediction, receptive deficits were observed on tasks of emotion recognition, despite equivalent abilities in facial recognition and general visuospatial functioning. Despite displaying receptive deficits, the ADHD group viewed themselves as being more socially sensitive than did the control group. These findings have implications for the assessment and treatment of adults with ADHD that may focus on improving both psychosocial functioning and quality of life.