[Anger regulation in boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)].

OBJECTIVES

We explored the reaction of boys with ADHD when they are angry at a friend. Due to their impulsivity and difficulty in focussing their attention, it may be expected that such boys be inclined to resort more frequently to confrontational and harmful strategies of anger regulation and less often to negotiation, reappraisal, or distancing strategies.

METHODS

A sample of 23 boys diagnosed with ADHD (without co-morbid Oppositional Defiant Disorder or Conduct Disorder) between eight and thirteen years of age were compared to an age-matched sample of 23 boys with non-clinical behaviour. Strategies of anger regulation were assessed by means of a self-report questionnaire: Strategies of Anger Regulation for Children (SAR-C).

RESULTS

The self-report reveals no difference between boys with ADHD and those without in terms of confrontation and harmful strategies. As expected, boys with ADHD reported less frequent use of distancing strategies. They also indicated less frequent negotiation of the event with the friend or re-appraisal thereof.

CONCLUSIONS

Results indicate that boys with ADHD tend to report anger regulation strategies that require impulse control less often than their counterparts without ADHD. The groups did not differ in terms of their use of confrontational strategies that involved the acting out of their aggressive anger impulse because boys with ADHD (but without a co-morbid ODD or CD) may not intend to harm their friends in the long run and thus do not consider their behaviour to be aggressive.