ArticleJournal of clinical psychology2022
Could immersive daydreaming underlie a deficit in attention? The prevalence and characteristics of maladaptive daydreaming in individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
Article in Journal of clinical psychology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 37 citations in OpenAlex.
- Maladaptive Daydreaming and Psychopathology: A Meta-Analysis.International journal of psychology : Journal international de psychologie · 2025Pooled it
- The association between maladaptive daydreaming and eating and obsessive-compulsive disorders in the general population: the mediating role of alexithymia.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2026Article
- Exploring Differential Patterns of Dissociation: Severity and Dimensions Across Diverse Trauma Experiences and/or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Where Is My Mind? The Daydreaming Characteristics Questionnaire, a New Tool to Differentiate Absorptive Daydreaming From Mind-Wandering.Journal of attention disorders · 2025Article
- Maladaptive daydreaming should be included as a dissociative disorder in psychiatric manuals: position paper.The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science · 2025Review
- Introducing the addictive daydreaming scale: development and Polish validation of the ADS-20 and ADS-5.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- The Role of Momentary Dissociation in the Sensory Cortex: A Neurophysiological Review and its Implications for Maladaptive Daydreaming.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2024Review
- Intense Imagery Movements May Lead to Maladaptive Daydreaming: A Case Series and Literature Review.Movement disorders clinical practice · 2024Review
- Elucidating the difference between mind-wandering and day-dreaming terms.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Longitudinal associations between maladaptive daydreaming and psychological distress during the COVID-19 health crisis.Journal of behavioral addictions · 2023Article
- Could immersive daydreaming underlie a deficit in attention? The prevalence and characteristics of maladaptive daydreaming in individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.Journal of clinical psychology · 2022Article
- Differential diagnosis between maladaptive daydreaming and ADHD: Immersive daydreaming is not simply inattention.International journal of clinical and health psychology : IJCHPArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveMaladaptive daydreaming (MD) entails excessive immersion and engagement in complex fantasy worlds, causing distress and impairing functioning. Maladaptive Daydreamers often report that existing diagnostic labels are unhelpful for them. Previous studies reported high rates of comorbid attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among persons with MD, raising the question of their separateness. This study explored whether MD differs essentially from ADHD by examining an ADHD sample, hypothesizing a much lower incidence of MD.
methodAdults diagnosed with ADHD (N = 83) were assessed for ADHD symptoms, MD, depression, loneliness, and self-esteem. Participants who exceeded the study's cutoff score for suspected MD were invited to participate in a structured diagnostic interview for MD.
resultsIn accordance with the hypothesis, only 20.5% of the ADHD sample met the proposed diagnostic criteria for MD. Compared with ADHD-only participants, this subgroup presented increased depression, loneliness, and lowered self-esteem.
conclusionMD has unique clinical characteristics that are distinct from ADHD. We suggest that in some cases presenting with ADHD symptoms, an MD conceptualization may better explain the clinical picture. Future research should aim at a better differentiation of daydreaming, ADHD, and related constructs such as mind-wandering.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.