Adult ADHD
Visual Abstract
Reduced emotional empathy in adults with subclinical ADHD: evidence from the empathy and systemizing quotient
ADHD and Empathy in Adults
Y Groen , A E den Heijer , A B M Fuermaier , M Althaus , O Tucha
Summarized by:
May 26, 2023
study source
Atten Defic Hyperact Disord
Jun 2018
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What they studied
This study wanted to see whether adult ADHD affects empathy and relationships.
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What they found
Adults with ADHD tended to have less emotional empathy, but similar levels of social skills and cognitive empathy.
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What this means
This study provides evidence that ADHD can affect our empathy and the quality of our relationships.
Reduced emotional empathy in adults with subclinical ADHD: evidence from the empathy and systemizing quotient
Objectives
Experts are increasingly recognizing that ADHD can affect a lot more than just attention and hyperactivity.
Previous studies have found evidence that ADHD affects how children handle emotions.
This study wanted to see whether adults with ADHD handle emotions and relationships differently than other adults.
Study Quote
Studies in children with ADHD suggest impairments in social cognitive functions, whereas studies in adults with ADHD are scarce and inconclusive. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between ADHD traits and self-reported social cognitive style in a sample of adults f...
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Methods
This study compared 56 adults with ADHD symptoms to 56 closely matched adults without ADHD symptoms.
The researchers used questionnaires about ADHD symptoms, relationships, and social skills to evaluate the link between ADHD and emotions.
Study Quote
For this purpose, a community sample of 685 adults filled out online self-report questionnaires about ADHD symptoms (ADHD Rating Scale, ARS), social cognitive functioning and friendships. The Empathy Quotient (EQ) with the subscales Cognitive Empathy (CE), Emotional Empathy (EE) and Soci...
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Results
The results showed that those with ADHD struggled more with emotional intelligence and empathy though the effect sizes were small.
However, they had roughly the same level of social skills as those without ADHD and similar levels of cognitive empathy.
Women in the study tended to have greater levels of emotional empathy than men and had evidence of richer social lives.
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Female respondents with higher emotional empathy scores reported higher levels of social engagement, enjoyment and importance of friendships.
Gender and emotional empathy were two of the most significant factors for friendship quality.
Study Quote
With small effect sizes, the subclinical ADHD group showed reduced EE scores on the EQ and a more male social cognitive profile. This result was not influenced by sex or ADHD subtype.
Conclusions
Researchers concluded that ADHD may affect the emotional aspects of empathy, which can affect the quality of our friendships.
However, the researchers noted that the differences were minor. Many with ADHD still had average or above-average levels of emotional empathy.
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The reduced emotional empathy score of the subclinical ADHD group was, however, still within the normal range compared to normative data (above the 10th percentile), which might be explained by the fact that not all of the participants of the subclinical ADHD group would meet the criteria of a formal diagnosis of ADHD.
Study Quote
This study points to a relationship between traits of ADHD and the emotional aspect of empathy, whereas more complex aspects of empathy were unrelated. These findings should be corroborated in clinical patients with ADHD, employing neuropsychological tests rather than self-report questio...
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