Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39853403›Full record

SynthesisEuropean child & adolescent psychiatry2025

Emotion processing difficulties in ADHD: a Bayesian meta-analysis study.

Ana-María Soler-Gutiérrez, Alberto J Sánchez-Carmona, Jacobo Albert, José Antonio Hinojosa, Samuele Cortese, Alessio Bellato, Julia Mayas

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in European child & adolescent psychiatry, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Behavior and Speech Features of Children with ADHD.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026
    Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Ana-María Soler-GutiérrezFaculty of Psychology, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Despacho 2.36 bis, Calle Juan del Rosal, 10, 28040, Madrid, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1013-0525
Alberto J Sánchez-CarmonaCentro Neuromottiva, 28016, Madrid, Spain.
Jacobo AlbertFaculty of Psychology, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6538-9801
José Antonio HinojosaInstituto Pluridisciplinar, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7482-9503
Samuele CorteseSchool of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5877-8075
Alessio Bellato *School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5330-6773
Julia Mayas *Faculty of Psychology, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Despacho 2.36 bis, Calle Juan del Rosal, 10, 28040, Madrid, Spain. jmayas@psi.uned.es.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5003-4995

Funding

European Research Executive Agency 101095568-HORIZONHLTH- 2022-DISEASE-07-03Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación PID2021-125677OB-I00Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación PID2022-141420NB-I00National Institute for Health and Care Research NIHR128472National Institute for Health and Care Research NIHR130077National Institute for Health and Care Research NIHR203035National Institute for Health and Care Research NIHR203684National Institute for Health and Care Research RP-PG-0618-20003Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia FPI-UNED
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

We investigated whether there is an emotional processing deficit in ADHD and whether this only applies to specific emotional categories. In this PRISMA-compliant systematic review based on a pre-registered protocol ( https://osf.io/egp7d ), we searched MEDLINE, PsycINFO, ERIC, Scopus and Web of Science databases until 3rd December 2023, to identify empirical studies comparing emotional processing in individuals meeting DSM (version III to 5-TR) or ICD (version 9 or 10) criteria for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and in a non-psychiatric control group. Study quality was assessed with the Appraisal tool for Cross-Sectional Studies (AXIS). Eighty studies were included and meta-analysed (encompassing 6191 participants and 465 observations). Bayesian meta-analyses were conducted to compare individuals with ADHD and non-psychiatric controls on overall emotional processing measures (meta-analysis 1) and across emotional categories (meta-analysis 2). The type of stimulus employed, outcome measurement reported, age, sex, and medication status were analysed as moderators. We found poorer performance in both overall emotion processing (g =  - 0.65) and across emotional categories (anger g =  - 0.37; disgust g =  - 0.24; fear g =  - 0.37; sadness g =  - 0.34; surprise g =  - 0.26; happiness/positive g =  - 0.31; negative g =  - 0.20; neutral g =  - 0.25) for individuals with ADHD compared to non-psychiatric controls. Scales items and accuracy outcome being the most effective moderators in detecting such differences. No effects of age, sex, or medication status were found. Overall, these results show that impaired emotional processing is a relevant feature of ADHD and suggest that it should be systematically assessed in clinical practice.

Indexed as

Attention Deficit Disorder with HyperactivityEmotionsBayes TheoremChildHumansADHDEmotional processingEmotion recognitionMeta-analysis

Identifiers

PMID39853403
PMCPMC12397143

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.