Differences in impulsivity between adolescents with ADHD and those with comorbidity of ADHD and IGD.

Background: Numerous studies have demonstrated that patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have high impulsivity. However, few studies have been published on the differences in impulsivity between patients presenting with comorbidity of ADHD and Internet gaming disorder (IGD) and ADHD alone.

Aim: The present study designed an experiment to address this significant question, to explore the differences in impulsivity between individuals with ADHD and those with comorbid ADHD and IGD, specifically focusing on various dimensions of impulsivity.

Methods: A total of 81 adolescents with ADHD alone and 59 patients with comorbidity of ADHD and IGD were included in this study, and all of them were assessed using the Stop-signal Task (SST), Delay Discount Task (DDT), and Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART).

Results: Patients with comorbid ADHD and IGD had higher impulsivity than those with only ADHD, and it was expressed in different dimensions. Additionally, response inhibition, delayed discount rate, risky decision-making behavior, inattention, and hyperactivity were identified as risk factors for comorbid ADHD and IGD.

Conclusion: These findings can help distinguish whether ADHD is comorbid with IGD in clinical settings. They will also be helpful in the implementation of more precise treatments.