(047) The Association Between Adult ADHD Symptoms and Attachment Anxiety and Avoidance in Romantic Relationships: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often face challenges with emotional regulation and intimacy that can compromise romantic relationships. Insecure attachment-marked by elevated anxiety and avoidance-has been proposed as one mechanism underlying these difficulties. Yet most research has focused on children, clinical samples, or caregiver attachment, leaving uncertainty about how ADHD symptomatology relates to adult romantic attachment. Objective This study examined whether adult ADHD symptoms are associated with insecure attachment dimensions in romantic relationships, and whether symptom severity predicts attachment outcomes among adults with ADHD. Methods A large, international community sample of 690 adults (166 with self-reported ADHD) completed validated measures, including the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-18) and the Experiences in Close Relationships–Short Form (ECR-S). Group differences in attachment anxiety, avoidance, and style distributions were assessed with independent samples t-tests and chi-square tests. Within the ADHD subgroup, correlations, ANOVAs, and regression analyses tested associations between inattention, hyperactivity-impulsivity, and attachment outcomes, controlling for demographic and clinical factors. Results Participants with ADHD reported slightly higher attachment anxiety compared to those without ADHD, though this difference did not reach significance (p = .088). No significant group differences emerged for attachment avoidance or attachment style distributions. Within the ADHD subgroup, neither inattention nor hyperactivity-impulsivity correlated with attachment anxiety or avoidance, and regression models indicated no meaningful predictive effects after adjusting for covariates. A weak, nonsignificant trend was observed between hyperactivity-impulsivity and anxious attachment. Conclusions Contrary to expectations and prior findings, this study did not identify robust associations between adult ADHD symptoms and insecure attachment in romantic relationships. These results challenge assumptions that attachment insecurity is a uniform characteristic of adults with ADHD, suggesting instead that such links may depend on contextual or moderating factors such as emotional regulation, relational history, and developmental pathways. By leveraging one of the largest community-based adult samples to date, this study refines theoretical models and underscores the importance of individualized, attachment-informed approaches to clinical care for adults with ADHD. Disclosure No