Relationships Among Habitual Exercise, Emotion Regulation, And Quality Of Life In College Students With ADHD

College students with ADHD tend to struggle with their academic performance and are less likely to graduate college than their neurotypical peers. Emotion dysregulation, a common symptom of ADHD, can cause significant functional impairment throughout life. Evidence indicates that an acute bout of exercise improves ADHD symptom severity, however, less is known about the effectiveness of habitual exercise on emotion dysregulation and quality of life (QoL) in college students with ADHD. PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between habitual exercise, emotion regulation, and QoL in college students with ADHD, and the possible moderating effects of ADHD medication. METHODS: This mixed-methods design included a sample of 53 college students (45.3% male; 83% white), diagnosed with ADHD, who completed a Qualtrics survey that included items on recent exercise, emotion regulation strategy use (expression suppression and cognitive reappraisal), medication status, and QoL. A moderated mediation model of linear regression was used to examine the relationships between habitual exercise, emotion regulation, and QoL, and explore the moderating effects of ADHD medication. A subset of participants (n = 6) also completed a semi-structured interview regarding their perceptions of exercise, which was then analyzed using a thematic approach. RESULTS: Results found a positive main effect of habitual exercise on expression suppression, (p = 0.007). Greater use of cognitive reappraisal was associated with greater QoL (p = 0.02). There was a stronger association between habitual exercise and cognitive reappraisal in participants taking ADHD medication (p = 0.006), than those who were not taking ADHD medication (p = 0.942). Qualitative analysis identified primary themes of both ADHD-related exercise benefits (increased focus, reduced hyperactivity, improved emotion regulation), and non-ADHD related exercise benefits (feelings of accomplishment, elevated mood, coping mechanism, improved health and fitness). CONCLUSION: Although further research is necessary, habitual exercise in conjunction with ADHD medication may be an effective treatment for emotion dysregulation associated with ADHD.