Delay discounting of monetary gains and losses in adolescents with ADHD: Contribution of delay aversion to choice

Abstract

Adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are known to have stronger preferences for smaller immediate rewards over larger delayed rewards in delay discounting tasks than their peers, which has been argued to reflect delay aversion. Here, participants performed a delay discounting task with gains and losses. In this latter condition, participants were asked whether they were willing to wait in order to lose less money. Following the core assumption of the delay aversion model that individuals with ADHD have a general aversion to delay, one would predict adolescents with ADHD to avoid waiting in both conditions. Adolescents (12-17 years) with ADHD (n = 29) and controls (n = 28) made choices between smaller immediate and larger delayed gains, and between larger immediate and smaller delayed losses. All delays (5-25 s) and gains/losses (2-10 cents) were experienced. In addition to an area under the curve approach, a mixed-model analysis was conducted to disentangle the contributions of delay duration and immediate gain/delayed loss amount to choice. The ADHD group chose the immediate option more often than controls in the gain condition, but not in the loss condition. The contribution of delay duration to immediate choices was stronger for the ADHD group than the control group in the gain condition only. In addition, the ADHD group scored higher on self-reported delay aversion, and delay aversion was associated with delay sensitivity in the gain condition, but not in the loss condition. In sum, we found no clear evidence for a general aversion to delay in adolescents with ADHD.

Effects of Substance Misuse and Family History of Substance Use Disorder on Delay Discounting in Adolescents and Young Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

“…SVs reflected the value of the small-immediate reward in each delay for which a participant showed indifference to the large-delayed reward [44]. These were calculated based on the proportion of delayed choices [45].…”

Delay aversion and immediate choice in Sepedi-speaking primary school children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

“…The motivational theory is used to indicate an independent, complementary, and developmental aspect that may contribute to the occurrence of ADHD behaviours. According to Mies, de Water, Wiersema, and Scheres (2018), children with ADHD avoid waiting in conditions related to delay discounting, compared to control groups, in both gain and loss situations. Children with ADHD are more likely to act thoughtlessly because they avoid waiting.…”

Het nemen van beslissingen door volwassenen met ADHD: een systematisch literatuuronderzoek

“…Deze impulsiviteit wordt eveneens geassocieerd met tekorten in delay gratification en delay discounting. Dit houdt in dat kinderen en adolescenten met ADHD vaker kleine, directe beloningen verkiezen boven grotere, uitgestelde beloningen dan kinderen en adolescenten zonder ADHD [21][22][23]. Bovendien lijkt het vermogen om te leren van eerdere beslissingen, wat de kans op succesvolle besluitvorming zou vergroten, aangedaan bij kinderen met ADHD [24].…”

“…Gezien de belangrijke rol van delay discounting in de theorieën over de onderliggende mechanismen van ADHD (e.g. [16,17]) en de duidelijke tekorten die zijn gevonden bij kinderen en adolescenten met ADHD op dit gebied [21][22][23], is de inconsistentie in de resultaten van de studies die delay discounting bij volwassenen met ADHD onderzochten verrassender. Mowinckel et al concludeerden naar aanleiding van hun meta-analyse dat er tot nu toe mogelijk nog te weinig studies zijn uitgevoerd om een betrouwbare schatting te maken van het niveau van delay discounting bij volwassenen met ADHD [29].…”