The mediating role of emotion regulation strategies between symptoms and anxiety problems in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Abstract:

Objective To study the mediating role of emotion regulation strategies between symptoms and anxiety problems in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).Methods Convenience cluster sampling was performed to select 435 eligible children with ADHD from 10 211 students in 10 elementary schools in Kashgar of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. SNAP-IV Assessment Scale, Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents, and Conners Parent Symptoms Questionnaire were used to obtain relevant information. The Spearman correlation analysis and the moderated mediation method were used for data analysis.Results For the children with ADHD, the score of cognitive reappraisal was negatively correlated with the scores of symptoms and anxiety problems (r_s=-0.254 and -0.270 respectively, P<0.001), and the score of symptoms was positively correlated with the score of anxiety problems (r_s=0.329, P<0.001). The analysis of mediating effect showed that cognitive reappraisal played a partial mediating role between symptoms and anxiety problems, with a 95% confidence interval of 0.008-0.027, and the mediating effect accounted for 16.10% of the total effect. In addition, sex played a regulatory role in this mediation model (P<0.001).Conclusions Cognitive reappraisal plays a mediating role between symptoms and anxiety problems in children with ADHD, while sex regulates the relationship of symptoms with cognitive reappraisal and anxiety problems in these children.