“Three pills” (cognitive reappraisal × social support × cognitive flexibility) and their impact on ADHD symptoms in early adolescence: Synergistic or compensatory effect?

Abstract

Converging and compelling evidence has isolated how three malleable “pills” (cognitive reappraisal, social support, and cognitive flexibility) affect the manifestation of ADHD symptoms, but the complex combined effect over time has not been sufficiently addressed. The present research leveraged a strength-based “strategy × situation × person interaction” model to investigate how cognitive reappraisal (strategy), social support from friend (situation), and cognitive flexibility (person) uniquely and interactively impact teacher-rated ADHD symptoms in a typically developing early adolescent sample. In this three-wave multiple-method prospective study, 194 adolescents (Meanage = 11.39; 53.1 % girls) participated. At Time 1, adolescents self-rated cognitive reappraisals; at Time 2, adolescents completed the social support questionnaire and a computerized cognitive flexibility task. Meanwhile, teachers estimated their students' ADHD symptoms at both Time 1 and Time 3. The current study suggests that “more is not always better.” The seemingly beneficial socioemotional and cognitive characteristics in isolation are important to mitigate the manifestations of ADHD symptoms, but when these characteristics work together, they produce a compensatory (instead of synergistic) interaction effect. Specifically, cognitive reappraisal and social support from friend are compensatory and protect young adolescents from severe manifestations of ADHD symptoms. Such a compensatory pattern is especially pronounced for those exhibiting poor cognitive flexibility performance.