B – 75 The Impact of Depression on Hot and Cold Executive Functioning in Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Abstract Objective This study explored the influence of mood-related variables on "hot" (emotional/behavior regulation) and "cold" (cognition) executive functioning (EF) symptoms in adults with ADHD. Previous research revealed greater impairments in cold EF compared to hot EF among participants (Goodlett et al., 2025); examining both EF domains and their association with depression and anxiety, this study aims to clarify the impact of mood disorders on cognitive and emotional factors contributing to ADHD symptomatology in adulthood. Method 89 college students with ADHD completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function – Adult Version (BRIEF-A), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Clinical sample (M age = 22.7, SD = 6.66; 68.5% self-identified females) was recruited from local university disability offices. Results Previous results indicated a significant difference in cold (M = 70.4, SD = 13.0) compared to hot (M = 62.9, SD = 12.8), t(88) = -6.51, p < .001) EF (Goodlett et al., 2025). Linear regression showed that depression scores explained a significant proportion of variance in both metacognition, R2 = .26, t(86) = 3.58, p < .001, and behavioral regulation, R2 = .24, t(86) = 3.05, p = .003, scores. Conclusion Depression, but not anxiety, significantly predicted impairments in both hot and cold EF domains, suggesting that depression plays a critical role in exacerbating EF difficulties. Results indicate that individuals who reported higher levels of depression (measured by the BDI) also reported greater impairments in both hot and cold EF. These findings highlight the importance of addressing depressive symptoms to improve executive functioning.