Dysfunctional cognitions and their emotional, behavioral, and functional correlates in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): is the cognitive-behavioral model valid?

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the presence of dysfunctional cognitions in adults with ADHD and to determine whether these cognitions are associated with emotional symptoms, maladaptive coping, and functional impairment, as predicted by the cognitive-behavioral model. METHOD: A total of 35 adult participants with ADHD, 20 nonclinical controls, and 20 non-ADHD clinical controls were assessed with measures of ADHD symptoms, dysfunctional cognitions, depression and anxiety symptoms, coping strategies, and quality of life. RESULTS: ADHD group showed elevated scores of dysfunctional cognitions relative to nonclinical control group and comparable with clinical control group. Dysfunctional cognitions were strongly associated with emotional symptoms. ADHD group also showed elevated scores in maladaptive coping strategies of the escape-avoidance type. Life impairment was satisfactorily predicted in data analysis when ADHD symptoms, dysfunctional cognitions, and emotional symptoms were fitted into a regression model. CONCLUSION: Cognitive-behavioral therapy model appears to be a valid complementary model for understanding emotional and life impairment in adults with ADHD.

[Psychometric properties of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale in a sample of the city of Buenos Aires]. / Propiedades psicométricas de la Escala de Impulsividad de Barratt en una muestra de Buenos Aires.

The Barratt Impulsiveness Scale was designed to assess the impulsivity construct in three dimensions: attentional, motor and unplanned. The scale has been applied to patients with different diagnoses in which the impulsivity symptoms are characteristic. In Argentina there aren't studies that evaluate the psychometrics properties of the scale in clinical population. The objective of the research was to evaluate the psychometrics properties in a sample of the city of Buenos Aires. 150 adult subjects were selected: 67 didn't have relevant psychiatric diagnoses, 56 met criteria for bipolar disorder and 27 had Attention Deficit Disorder. The internal consistency, the construct validity, discriminative validity and the factorial structure were assessed. The Cronbach alpha was 0.84 for the total scale. Also the instrument has demonstrated acceptable indicators of construct and discriminative validity. Significant differences were found when the results of the present study and the original factorial structure were compared. The results support the usefulness of the scale in the psychiatric, scientific and clinical context to evaluate the impulsivity construct. The total score of the scale obtained the strongest indicators of reliability and validity.