The Evaluation of Medical School Students in Terms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Emotional Regulation Difficulties
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Emotional Regulation Difficulties
Keywords:
Adult ADHD, emotion regulation difficulties, medical student, family medicine, psychiatryAbstract
Objective: The symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) affect individuals' education, quality of life, work, and social life. Studies have indicated that adults with ADHD often experience emotion dysregulation as much as they exhibit the core symptoms of the disorder, leading to significant problems in social life. In this study, it is aimed to evaluate the symptoms of ADHD and emotional regulation difficulties in medical students studying at a university hospital.
Methods: The research was conducted between 20.10.2021-20.11.2021 in the family medicine department of a university hospital. The sociodemographic data form, Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS), and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) were administered to the participants online via Google-survey system. The study sample was grouped according to the total ASRS score of the participants.
Results: A total of 552 participants were included in the study. Participants were divided into 3 groups as high probable ADHD (HP-ADHD), probable ADHD (P-ADHD) and without ADHD (WO-ADHD) according to the ASRS cut-off score. Excluding the awareness subscale, the HP-ADHD group had higher scores on all other subscales and the DERS total score compared to the P-ADHD group. ASRS total scores positively correlated with the DERS total scores (r=0.643, p<0.001). In addition, suicide attempt, forensic event history and failure in class were significantly higher in the HP-ADHD group compared to the WO-ADHD group.
Conclusion: There is a significant relationship between ADHD and emotion regulation difficulties and this may cause clinical diversity that may cause difficulties in different areas of life in adults.