Abstract
BackgroundSymptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are commonly comorbid with depression This study aimed to examine the relationship between ADHD symptoms and depression through perceived family support and to explore whether the magnitude of the relationship depended on the type of family climate of medical students.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted among 124 first year medical students in Thailand. Participants completed questionnaires on ADHD symptoms, depression, perceived family support, and 9 types of family climate. The questionnaires included the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale Screener, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and revised Thai Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Mediational analysis was adopted to examine the mediating role of perceived family support in the relationship between ADHD symptoms and depression, while moderation analysis was applied to examine the extent of the relationship depending on family climate.ResultsThe relationship between ADHD symptoms and depression was moderate. Perceived family support partially mediated this relationship after controlling for age and sex. Among the types of family climate, only helpful family climate was a significant moderator of perceived family support and depression. The moderated mediation model increased the variance in depression from 17% by the mediation model to 21%. However, follow-up conditional mediational analysis showed that the indirect effect of ADHD symptoms on depression via perceived family support was not significant and that this effect did not vary linearly as a function of helpful family climate.ConclusionThe findings of the study revealed that poor family support might be one risk of developing depression in the context of ADHD symptoms. Further study on providing intervention concerning family support among those with ADHD symptoms should be warranted. In addition, a study on helpful family climate in a larger sample size, in other populations, and in a longitudinal fashion for a more robust conclusion is encouraged.
Highlights
Symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are commonly comorbid with depression This study aimed to examine the relationship between ADHD symptoms and depression through perceived family support and to explore whether the magnitude of the relationship depended on the type of family climate of medical students
This study aimed to examine the relationship between ADHD symptoms and depression through perceived family support and to investigate whether the magnitude and direction of the relationship depended on family climate
We found that only the family climate perceived as helpful was a moderator of the relationship between perceived family support and depression (Fig. 2)
Summary
Symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are commonly comorbid with depression This study aimed to examine the relationship between ADHD symptoms and depression through perceived family support and to explore whether the magnitude of the relationship depended on the type of family climate of medical students. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects many areas of life from childhood to adulthood [1, 2]. ADHD symptoms include impairment in executive functions, such as Pojanapotha et al BMC Psychol (2021) 9:112 self-regulation, time management, organization, working memory, planning, and cognitive flexibility, which are usually followed by academic failure, undermined work performance, and social problems [3,4,5]. On the whole, it leads to poor self-esteem and depression [6, 7]. ADHD symptoms can affect learning and work efficiency and decrease the likelihood of achievement and happiness in many aspects of life [10,11,12], including quality of life [13, 14]
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