Amori Yee Mikami

Background: In the 5 years since the publication of the original ADHD International Consensus Statement, a great deal of new evidence has emerged. This updated consensus statement reflects the current state of the science with respect to ADHD, with a goal of reducing misconceptions and stigma around the disorder.Methods: Studies eligible for inclusion were published between January 1, 2021 and July 1, 2025 and were either: 1) large cohort studies of 2000 or more participants, or 2) meta-analyses of at least 5 studies or 2000 participants in which publication bias was considered. Eligible studies were summarized and consolidated by theme. Manuscript contents were reviewed and approved by 118 authors from 29 countries and 6 continents.Results: Two hundred and fifty empirically-supported statements were generated from these studies, offering readers an up-to-date understanding of the most robust findings in the areas of prevalence, how genes and environmental factors shape ADHD, psychiatric and somatic comorbidities, cognitive and neurological differences among individuals with ADHD, functional outcomes, and treatments for the disorder. Conclusions: Many of the conclusions of the original Consensus Statement are supported, but this update adds important nuance to some findings as a result of more recent evidence. It also highlights a few areas in which the balance of findings has shifted in the last 5 years, providing a transparent overview of the current scientific state of the field.

Objective: Although ADHD is characterized as a lifelong condition, emerging evidence indicates that symptom severity can fluctuate day-to-day. In this study, we examined whether these fluctuations are directionally associated with fluctuations in perceived stress, using 28 days of ecological momentary assessment data. Method: Participants were 187 undergraduate students (M age = 19.7 years; 78% women). We estimated temporal, contemporaneous, and between-subject networks. Results: At the sum-score level, ADHD and perceived stress were consistently positively associated across all three network types. In analyses of ADHD symptoms and perceived stress, increases in ADHD-related concentration difficulties and procrastination were associated with higher levels of perceived stress on the following day. Conversely, increases in perceived stress, particularly feelings of lacking control, were associated with elevated ADHD symptoms the next day. In the contemporaneous network, ADHD-related procrastination, restlessness, and concentration difficulties showed the strongest associations with perceived stress. These symptoms were also prominent in the between-person network, which additionally identified dependence on others for organization as a key ADHD-related feature unique to this level of analysis. Negative ADHD-perceived stress relations also appeared in both contemporaneous and between-person networks. Conclusion: Overall, findings highlighted specific dynamics that may underlie the overlap between ADHD and perceived stress, particularly during the demanding period of college adjustment, with key elements serving as potential early warning signals and targets for micro-level interventions to disrupt escalating cycles of co-occurrence.

Introduction: Many parents of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) experience mental health challenges that may hinder engagement in behavioral parent training. This pilot randomized trial evaluated the feasibility and acceptability, and explored preliminary parent-related outcomes, of Parental Friendship Coaching+ (PFC+). PFC+ is an engagement-enhanced adaptation of Parental Friendship Coaching (PFC) for parents with elevated ADHD and/or depressive symptoms raising children with ADHD and peer difficulties. PFC trains parents to support their child’s friendships through social coaching. Method: Thirty-three Canadian parents ( M _age = 38.9 years; 97% mothers) were randomized to 6 weeks of PFC+ ( n = 18) or waitlist control ( n = 15). Afterward, control parents received PFC+, while PFC+ parents entered naturalistic follow-up. PFC+ included participation-enhancing adaptations (e.g., one-time workshop, flexible coaching, online delivery) and connection-promoting adaptations (e.g., extended intake, treatment menu, peer-pairing). Results: On primary outcomes of treatment engagement, session completion was 97%, homework adherence averaged 81%, and alliance ratings were strong. Exploratory parent-related outcomes included parenting stress, parenting competence, and parenting behavior pre- to post-program. Compared to controls, PFC+ parents reported greater parenting competence and friendship facilitation, and reduced criticism, with medium but nonsignificant effects. In contrast, children reported declines in parents’ positive involvement and friendship facilitation, and co-parents reported mixed, nonsignificant effects. Parenting stress declined in both PFC+ and control groups. Discussion: Findings support further evaluation of PFC+ as a potentially scalable, engagement-focused adaptation of behavioral parent training for families facing parent mental health barriers.

Young adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), relative to their neurotypical peers, are at increased risk for developing depression and anxiety (i.e., internalizing disorders), which may be exacerbated by the demands of adjusting to college. Longitudinal day-to-day relations between ADHD and internalizing symptoms remain poorly understood, despite their potential for highlighting pathways and mechanisms underlying comorbidity and specifying targets for microlevel assessments and interventions. The current study attempted to clarify such relations using ecological momentary assessment data collected across 28 days (once per day). Participants were 151 college students (Mage = 19.9 years, 78.8% women, 31.8% White), oversampled for ADHD-related concerns, who completed abbreviated daily measures of ADHD, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and major depressive disorder (MDD). Temporal results suggested increases in ADHD-related Difficulty unwinding and relaxing and Put things off until the last minute predicted increases in next-day GAD symptoms and vice versa. Increases in ADHD-related Difficulty concentrating predicted increases in next-day MDD symptoms, and increases in MDD symptoms predicted increases in ADHD-related Depend on others to keep your life in order. Contemporaneous results suggested Difficulty unwinding and relaxing, Difficulty concentrating, and Put things off until the last minute demonstrated the strongest positive relations with same-day MDD and GAD symptoms. Between-person results indicated Difficulty unwinding and relaxing and Often leave your seat were positively related to GAD and MDD symptoms. Findings highlighted ADHD symptoms that may serve as key assessment and intervention targets to prevent cycles of worsening ADHD and internalizing disorders. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Parenting interventions are a front-line treatment for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, many parents of children with ADHD have elevated ADHD or depressive symptoms, which may impede their ability to engage in and benefit from such interventions. This secondary data analysis examined associations between parent mental health, treatment engagement, and parenting-related treatment outcomes within a randomized trial of 172 families of children with ADHD. Families received either Parental Friendship Coaching (PFC; a behavioral parent training program) or Coping with ADHD through Relationships and Education (CARE; a parent psychoeducation and social support intervention); both were parenting interventions that aimed to support parents to improve children’s ADHD-related social impairments. Higher parent self-reported ADHD symptoms at baseline were associated with lower home practice completion in PFC, potentially greater perceived group social support in PFC, and higher attendance in CARE. In contrast, parent depressive symptoms were not associated with engagement in either intervention. Overall, higher parent ADHD or depressive symptoms demonstrated few associations with parenting behavior treatment outcomes at post-treatment or 8-month follow-up, and observed effects were both positive and negative in PFC and CARE. It is possible that accessibility-focused adaptations to PFC and CARE reduced the impact of higher parent mental health symptoms on poorer engagement and parenting treatment outcomes. Nevertheless, the generally low levels of ADHD and depressive symptoms in the sample limit the ability to detect possible stronger associations.

Establishing new social connections is critical during the transition to university, especially for students who have moved far from home. We examined how students’ one-on-one connections, along with the dynamics of their social groups, related to their adjustment across a school year. Participants were 717 first-year international undergraduates at a Canadian university who participated in a transition program involving assignment to orientation groups of 20-30 students. Cross-sectionally, students’ individual-level social network measures were associated with better adjustment at the start of the year. Longitudinally, being part of a group with better social connections at the start of the year was associated with students’ higher grade point average, lower hostility, and greater institutional attachment at the end of the school year. Findings highlight the importance of group-level social dynamics for emerging adults’ adjustment during a significant life transition.