Irritability, anxiety and negative thought patterns in ADHD associated with increased depression risk
2 September 2026
Irritability, anxiety and negative thought patterns in children and young people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) could help explain why these individuals are more likely to develop depression later in life.
A new study by the Wolfson Centre at Cardiff University investigating links between ADHD and depression has shown that underlying factors such as anxiety and negative thought patterns in childhood, adolescence and young adulthood are indicators of depression risk.
The research team suggest that identifying these emotions, behaviours and beliefs in children and young people with ADHD could be a promising intervention for preventing future depression in these individuals.
It is known that children and young people with ADHD are more likely to develop depression, but little is known about the underlying mechanisms.
Dr Lucy Riglin at Cardiff University’s Wolfson Centre for Young People’s Mental Health, said: “We wanted to understand whether factors including irritability, anxiety, emotion recognition, characteristics that relate to how people think and learn, and negative thought patterns, helped explain associations between ADHD and depression.
“We also wanted to understand whether this differed across development and between sexes.”
In the study, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the researchers performed analysis using the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) – also known as Children of the 90s - and the Twins Early Development Study (TEDS) - ongoing studies that have followed participants from pregnancy into young adulthood.
The ALSPAC and TEDS data in childhood, adolescence and young adulthood included ADHD symptoms and depression symptoms, as well as the investigated clinical factors (irritability and anxiety), cognitive processes (such as emotion recognition, working memory, and sustained attention), and negative thought patterns (such as a sense of a lack of control over their own life). The researchers assessed whether these factors explained the association between ADHD and later depression, and looked at differences across females and males.
The study revealed that children and youth with higher ADHD symptoms showed higher levels of depressive symptoms. This association was consistently stronger in girls than boys.
Irritability and anxiety in childhood and young adulthood were the main factors explaining the association between ADHD and depression. In adolescence, they found that the strongest factors were negative thought patterns and a mindset that viewed life outcomes and circumstances as related to luck, fate, or other people.
Dr Eglė Padaigaitė-Gulbinienė, Cardiff University School of Medicine, who was involved in the study, said: “Our observed sex differences might reflect lower recognition and later diagnosis of ADHD in girls and women, leading to delayed support and increased risk of depression.”
Our findings highlight the particular value of early screening for irritability and anxiety in children and youth with ADHD to identify those at heightened risk for developing depression.
The team say that future studies are now needed to examine whether these factors cause depression in children and young people with ADHD, and whether similar mechanisms occur in children and youth with other conditions, such as ADHD co-occurring with autism.
The research, Clinical and Cognitive Mediators Underlying Subsequent Depression in Individuals With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Developmental Approach, was published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
