Two Facets of Emotion Dysregulation Are Core Symptomatic Domains in Adult ADHD: Results from the SR-WRAADDS, a Broad Symptom Self-Report Questionnaire
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Emotional dysregulation (ED) in adult ADHD is frequent but definition and tools for its evaluation are not consensual. Our aim was to determine the core ADHD symptomatic domains via the Self-Reported Wender-Reimherr Adult Attention Deficit Disorder Scale (SR-WRAADDS) following its validation in a large clinical sample of adults with ADHD and controls. METHOD: Three hundred sixty-nine adult patients with ADHD and 251 healthy participants completed the SR-WRAADDS and questionnaires about ADHD, depression, and ED. We analyzed the psychometric properties of the SR-WRAADDS and a factor analysis yielded symptomatic domains. RESULTS: The SR-WRAADDS has good reliability. The 30 symptoms were best organized in a four-factor solution: attention/disorganization, hyperactivity/restlessness, impulsivity/emotional outbursts, and emotional lability. CONCLUSIONS: The symptomatic structure of the SR-WRAADDS includes two distinct dimensions related to ED: "impulsivity/emotional outbursts" and "emotional lability." The SR-WRAADDS is a reliable and clinically useful tool that assesses all ADHD symptom domains, including facets of ED.
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Clinical samples or individuals seeking psychiatric care generally exhibit higher ADHD rates than community-based samples, reflecting selection bias.
“clinical samples or individuals seeking psychiatric care generally exhibit higher ADHD rates than community-based samples, reflecting selection bias”
From ADHD in Adulthood: Clinical Presentation, Comorbidities, and Treatment Perspectives (2025) · cites this paper as [17]
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“Furthermore, the nature of the study population plays a crucial role; clinical samples or individuals seeking psychiatric care generally exhibit higher ADHD rates than community-based samples, reflecting selection bias [17,18].”
- Authors
- Weibel, S., Bicego, F., Muller, S., Martz, E., Costache, M. E., Kraemer, C., Bertschy, G., Lopez, R., & Weiner, L.
- Affiliations
- Inserm (FR)
- Université de Lorraine (FR)
- Inserm U1114, Strasbourg, France
- Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg (FR)
- National Reference Centre for Orphan Diseases, Narcolepsy- Rare hypersomnias, Sleep Unit, Department of Neurology, CHU Montpellier, Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France; University of Montpellier, France
- Corresponding author
- Weibel, Sébastien
- Venue
- Journal of Attention Disorders
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2021-06-30
- Volume
- 26
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 767-778
- ISSN
- 1087-0547 (ISSN-L)
- 1557-1246
- OpenAlex
- W3174799581
- Cited by
- 14
- References
- 49
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 4
- FWCI
- 1.97
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Attention Disorders (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- HAL (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Developmental and Educational Neuropsychology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Mental Health Research Topics
- Keywords
- adult ADHD, emotional dysregulation, symptom domains, emotional lability, impulsivity, emotional outbursts, psychometric validation, factor structure, self-report questionnaire
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Emotions, Humans, Surveys and Questionnaires, Reproducibility of Results, Self Report
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