Journal of Attention Disorders, Ahead of Print.
Individuals with ADHD report diminished emotion regulation capacities and adversity in childhood detrimentally affects emotion regulation development; however, how positive childhood experiences (PCEs) and whether and how social support are related to PCEs and emotion regulation for those with ADHD is unknown.Objective:To identify direct and indirect associations between PCEs and social support to emotion regulation outcomes in adults with ADHD.Method:Adults with ADHD (n = 81) reported PCEs, current social support, and emotion regulation. Conditional effects modeling examined the direct and indirect relationships between PCEs and emotion dysregulation through social support.Results:Higher PCEs were indirectly related to improved emotion regulation through increased social support generally (β = −.70, 95% CI [−1.32, −0.17], and specifically through belonging (β = −.43, 95% CI [ −0.87, −0.05], self-esteem (β = −.61, 95% CI [−1.08, −0.27], and tangible social support (β = −.50, 95% CI [−1.07, −0.02].Conclusions:PCEs may protect emotion regulation in adults with ADHD through social support, possibly through facilitating social connections, increasing access to social support, and sustaining emotion regulation strategies.