This study examined differences in anger and anger expression between college students high in symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disordered (ADHD) and non-ADHD college students. Other emotional and psychological differences were also explored. The ADHD group exhibited significantly higher levels of trait and state anger, more dysfunctional and socially inappropriate ways of expressing anger, as well as more symptoms of psychological distress, more difficulty in interpersonal relations, more high school truancy, and more labile anxious/depressed moods than the non-ADHD group. Parents also reported that their sons and daughters high in ADHD symptoms had higher levels of anger and poorer forms of anger expression than did parents of the non-ADHD individuals. The ADHD group was not, however, more emotionally intense or more emotionally responsive to external consequences. The results are discussed with respect to anger and anger expression, general psychological functioning, and related areas of difficulty for ADHD adults. Implications for the treatment of ADHD college students are outlined.A ttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a chronic, debilitating disorder that affects approxijL ately 5% of elementary school-aged children (Barkley, 1990). Individuals with ADHD exhibit deficits in sustained attention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and behavioral control. Until recently, it was widely believed that ADHD was limited to children, and that the disorder was typically outgrown by adolescence. However, follow-up studies conducted over the past 20 years have shown that children diagnosed with ADHD display symptoms into adolescence and young adulthood (Brown & Borden, 1986;Thorley, 1984;Weiss & Hechtman, 1986). Although findings of the prevalence of ADHD in adulthood vary from study to study, recent research suggests that from 30-60% of individuals diagnosed with ADHD in childhood retain the full disorder into adulthood (Weiss & Hechtman, 1993). Barkley's (1994; in press) recent theoretical integration suggests that the primary problem for ADHD individuals is one of inhibiting behavior or controlling their impulse to respond to a situation. Therefore, the three basic characteristics of ADHD -inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity -can be described as fundamental impairments in behavioral inhibition and delaying responses. Individuals with ADHD appear to have neurological impairments in the executive brain functions critical for developing self-control and directing behavior toward the future (Barkley, in press). Impairment of these systems contributes to the difficulty ADHD individuals have with inhibiting immediate responses to their environments, their inability to stop ongoing responses, and their difficulty in retaining information in working memory. Moreover, impairment in these executive functions cause ADHD individuals to act without hindsight (i.e., ability to relate past knowledge to a present situation) and forethought (i.e., ability to discern patterns of behavior from one's experienc...
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