Interpersonal negotiation impairment in ADHD: The critical role of comprehension processing

Social impairment is one of the most prevalent adverse outcomes ADHD-related. It is well established that this outcome is independent of externalizing behaviors and environmental factors. Little is known about the cognitive aspects related to it. We analyzed the Interpersonal Negotiation Strategies (INS) of children and adolescents with ADHD and discussed their contribution to understand interpersonal relationship deficits. The performance at INSI of 70 children and adolescents (41 ADHD and 29 clinical controls) were compared and related to the severity of ADHD and the presence of comorbidities. The INSS in ADHD was significantly deficient when compared with the control group (p < .01), independently of the age, gender, and the presence of comorbidities. The comprehension of the problem appeared as an important cognitive factor to contribute to this. These findings have a significant potential to contribute to the novel’s cognitive targets of treatment approaches.