Journal of Attention Disorders, Ahead of Print.
BackgroundEvent perception provides a promising, novel approach for investigating underlying cognitive mechanisms of the social impairment associated with symptoms of ADHD.AimsThe goal of this study was to establish the relationship among event perception, symptoms of ADHD, and social skills.MethodologyEighty-three undergraduates were recruited from the University of Ottawa first year psychology courses (38 with ADHD, 45 without ADHD). They performed an event perception task and completed self-report questionnaires assessing social functioning and symptoms of ADHD (The Social Skills-Improvement System and the Conner’s CBRS-SR).ResultsBootstrapping mediation analyses revealed that symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity mediated the relationship between event perception and social skills. A model with predictor and mediator reversed was also tested, and was not significant, providing strength to the directionality of the relationships. Results highlight the applicability of event perception to understanding the association between social impairment and symptoms of ADHD.