Investigation on the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Effect on Infatuation and Impulsivity in Adolescents.

Lorrayne Stephane Soares,Marco Aurélio Romano-Silva,Jonas Jardim De Paula,Danielle De Souza Costa,Débora Marques De Miranda,Leandro Fernandes Malloy-Diniz

doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00137

Lorrayne Stephane Soares, Marco Aurélio Romano-Silva + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00137

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Abstract

IntroductionIn this study, we proposed to investigate the association between infatuation/passionate love and impulsivity in a context of potential high impulsivity: adolescents with attention deficit and hyperactivity/impulsivity (ADHD) diagnosis compared with typically developing adolescents.MethodsImpulsivity was understood as an exploratory and a sensation seeking behavior, a trend to engage in novel and exciting activities, and was evaluated using the UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale. Eighty-one adolescents from 13-to-18 years old with and without ADHD diagnosis were compared regarding infatuation intensity, behavioral impulsivity, and social and educational profiles.ResultsAfter correlation analysis, we found association between higher scores on the infatuation intensity with fewer years of formal education, heightened urgency and sensation seeking. On the other hand, using the generalized equation model, we showed that the association of passionate love with behavioral urgency and sensation seeking did not change in the presence of the ADHD diagnosis.ConclusionThe understanding of the relationship of impulsivity with infatuation might help to clarify why some population groups show an increased risk for many negative social outcomes.

Highlights

In this study, we proposed to investigate the association between infatuation/passionate love and impulsivity in a context of potential high impulsivity: adolescents with attention deficit and hyperactivity/impulsivity (ADHD) diagnosis compared with typically developing adolescents
Typically-developing participants were from two local urban schools or from a collaborative school from a nearby city, and adolescents with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were recruited in an impulsivity and attention research center
We found an association between higher scores on the Juvenile Love Scale (JLS), heightened urgency and sensation seeking (Table 2)

Summary

Introduction

We proposed to investigate the association between infatuation/passionate love and impulsivity in a context of potential high impulsivity: adolescents with attention deficit and hyperactivity/impulsivity (ADHD) diagnosis compared with typically developing adolescents. Human pair-bonding and reproduction are complex cross-cultural phenomena involving physiological, cognitive, and emotional changes with high impact on behavior (Hatfield and Rapson, 1993; Fisher et al, 2016). The process of falling in love engages brain reward system areas involved in chemical or behavioral addiction, dopamine pathways, with the ventral tegmental area (VTA) consistently associated with intense infatuation (Fisher et al, 2016)

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