German scientists from the University of Bonn and other scientific institutions examined the link between risky behavior and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in men and women. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine BMC Psychiatry.
ADHD is a condition that affects people of all ages. While men are more likely to be diagnosed in childhood, women with ADHD tend to go undetected or are diagnosed later in life, in part because symptoms often present differently.
Men in particular tend to exhibit hyperactive or impulsive behavior, while women are more likely to exhibit emotional dysregulation and internalizing symptoms such as anxiety or depression.
The new study included 29 adults with ADHD (16 men and 13 women) and 33 healthy controls (14 men and 19 women), all between the ages of 18 and 60. Participants completed a modified version of the analog balloon risk test designed to assess risk-taking behavior.
In the task, participants saw a balloon on the screen that automatically inflated. A larger bubble increased the potential monetary gain, but also increased the risk of the bubble bursting, which would result in the loss of all the money raised.
During the task, researchers recorded skin conductance responses (SCRs) to assess physiological changes associated with emotional arousal.
The results showed that women with ADHD engaged in significantly more risky behavior during testing compared to men with ADHD.
This increased risk taking was not observed in the control group; This suggests a unique interaction between gender and ADHD in influencing decision-making behavior. Interestingly, there were no significant differences between genders in physiological responses measured by SCR.
Further analysis of self-report questionnaires revealed that women with ADHD reported lower sensitivity to their own risky behavior; This points to a potential gap between self-perception and actual tendencies.
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Source: Gazeta
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