EMOTION REGULATION AND FUNCTIONAL IMPAIRMENT IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WITH ADHD: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

This study is a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) aimed at mapping the relationship between emotional regulation components and functional impairment among children and adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). A total of 30 Scopus-indexed articles published between 2020 and 2025 were analyzed. The review focused on three key aspects of emotion regulation—emotional awareness, emotional modulation, and emotional reactivity—and their association with three major domains of functional impairment: academic, social, and behavioral. The findings indicate that emotional reactivity is the strongest predictor of functional impairment, particularly in social and behavioral domains. Emotional modulation shows a significant contribution to academic functioning and behavioral control, whereas emotional awareness is more closely related to social interactions and interpersonal understanding, especially in early developmental stages. Additionally, the relationship between emotion regulation and impairment is moderated and mediated by various factors, including age, comorbid conditions (e.g., ODD, anxiety, ASD), and family environments. These results highlight emotional dysregulation as a central determinant of functional difficulties in individuals with ADHD, underscoring the importance of emotion-focused interventions in clinical practice and special education settings. The study provides a conceptual foundation for developing more targeted interventions and offers directions for future research on emotional mechanisms in ADHD.