Cognitive deficits underlying ADHD do not explain the link with problematic social media use

A study by researchers in the Netherlands found that individuals with higher levels of ADHD symptoms are more prone to problematic social media use and problematic gaming. However, this link is not mediated by the cognitive deficits underlying ADHD, such as inhibitory control deficits, reward sensitivity, or temporal processing deficits. The paper was published in Addictive Behaviors.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by persistent patterns of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that interfere with daily functioning. It typically begins in childhood, but for many individuals, it continues into adulthood. Most often, it is first diagnosed when children start school and ADHD symptoms come into conflict with school roles.

Studies have indicated that certain cognitive deficits might underlie ADHD symptoms. One core cognitive deficit associated with ADHD is impaired inhibitory control, meaning a difficulty suppressing automatic or inappropriate responses. This can manifest as interrupting others, acting without thinking, or struggling to resist distractions.

Another important feature of ADHD is altered reward sensitivity, where individuals show a strong preference for immediate rewards over delayed but larger rewards. Temporal processing deficits are also common, involving difficulties in accurately perceiving and estimating time intervals. As a result, people with ADHD tend to struggle with planning, time management, and waiting.

Lead author Luka Todorovic and his colleagues note that, according to the Triple-Pathway Model, ADHD symptoms arise from three neuropsychological pathways: an inhibitory control pathway, a reward sensitivity pathway, and a temporal processing pathway.

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Alterations in these pathways give rise to the types of cognitive deficits described above. The researchers wanted to explore whether those cognitive deficits explain the association between ADHD symptoms and behavioral addictions such as problematic social media use or problematic gaming.

The study included 111 emerging adults with an average age of 21. Fifty-three percent of the participants were of European origin, while 41% were Asian, and 84% of the overall sample were women. Because some participants failed specific attention checks, the authors ultimately analyzed the data of 109 participants for associations with problematic social media use, and 87 participants for problematic gaming.

Study participants completed self-report assessments of problematic social media use (the Social Media Disorder Scale), problematic gaming (the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale), ADHD symptoms (the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale), inhibitory control (the Inhibition Subscale of the Teenage Executive Functioning Inventory), reward sensitivity (the Delay Discounting Subscale of the Quick Delay Questionnaire), and temporal processing (the Individual Time Span Scale). They also underwent behavioral assessments of inhibitory control, reward sensitivity, and temporal processing by completing computerized cognitive tasks.

Results showed that 41% of study participants had elevated ADHD symptom levels. Twenty-seven percent of participants had symptoms of problematic social media use, while 9% had symptoms of problematic gaming.

As expected, individuals with higher levels of ADHD symptoms tended to self-report higher levels of the assessed cognitive deficits—inhibitory control, reward sensitivity, and temporal processing. However, these associations were absent when the computerized behavioral measures of these deficits were used.

Individuals with more severe ADHD symptoms also tended to report higher levels of problematic social media use and problematic gaming symptoms. However, contrary to the researchers’ expectations, these links were not mediated by the three assessed cognitive deficits (reward sensitivity, inhibitory control, and temporal processing).

Exploratory analyses revealed that it is possible that inhibitory control and temporal processing deficits mediate the link between hyperactivity/impulsivity (a specific dimension of ADHD symptoms) and problematic social media use.

“These findings indicate that cognitive deficits alone are unlikely to account for problematic digital media use, and that PSMU [problematic social media use] and PG [problematic gaming] may rely on partly distinct mechanisms. Inhibitory control deficits may be particularly relevant to address for individuals with concurrent ADHD symptoms and PSMU,” the study authors concluded.

The study contributes to the scientific knowledge about the neuropsychological bases of ADHD. However, it should be noted that the cross-sectional design of the study does not allow any causal inferences to be derived from the results.

The paper, “ADHD symptoms and problematic digital media use in emerging adults: Investigating the role of cognitive deficits as mediators,” was authored by Luka Todorovic, Janina Baumer, and Helle Larsen.