J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc.  2023 Nov;62(4):182-191. 10.4306/jknpa.2023.62.4.182.

A Study on the Association Between the Clinical Features of Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Depressive Symptoms: Focus on Korean Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Rating Scale

• Park M
• Kim GE
• Kim EJ

• KMID: 2548767
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4306/jknpa.2023.62.4.182

Abstract

Objectives
This study aimed to investigate the association between depressive symptoms and the clinical features of adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Methods
This study included 40 adult ADHD patients, aged ≥18, who visited the outpatient clinic of the Department of Psychiatry at Ewha Womans University’s Mokdong Hospital. Patients undergoing pharmacological treatment were excluded from the sample of 243 patients. To assess the clinical features of ADHD, the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale and the Korean Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Rating Scale (K-AARS) were administered to the patients. Depressive symptoms were evaluated using Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI) questionnaire. Pearson and Spearman correlation analyses were employed to explore the relationship between ADHD and depressive symptoms, and linear regression analyses were used to further investigate their associations.
Results
Participants were aged 19–54 years (27.47±7.05) and included a higher proportion of males (77.5%). Higher BDI scores were related to unmarried status, coexisting disorders, and lower education of the subjects. Inattention, emotional dysregulation, disorganization, impulsivity, and functional impairment measured by the K-AARS were correlated with higher BDI scores. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed significant associations between disorganization (β=0.858, p=0.008), impulsivity (β=0.759, p=0.001), emotional dysregulation (β=0.464, p<0.001), inattention (β=0.266, p=0.019), and subtotal score (β=0.069, p=0.031) in the K-AARS, and BDI.
Conclusion
The current study showed that elevated levels of inattention, impulsivity, disorganization, emotional dysregulation, and severity of ADHD symptoms were associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms in patients with adult ADHD. We suggest that it is important to understand the relationship between ADHD and depressive symptoms when managing adult ADHD patients with depressive symptoms.

Keyword

Adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; Depressive symptoms; ASRS; K-AARS