Differences in the Impact of Working Memory and Executive Function on Daily Regulatory Behavior Problems Between Children With ADHD and Typically Developing Children

Objective: This study aimed to investigate how working memory and executive function in children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) influence regulatory behaviors and to examine differences between children with ADHD and typically developing (TD) children. Methods: Parents and teachers of 36 TD children and 22 children with ADHD completed the BRIEF-R to assess behavioral regulation. The children were administered the CANTAB to measure working memory and executive function. Group comparisons (Brunner-Munzel test) as well as correlation and regression analyses were conducted using Jamovi 2.6.19 and R 4.4.2. Results: Significant group differences were observed in initial planning time, the number of successful problem-solving attempts on medium-difficulty executive function tasks, working memory errors, and strategy use. Differences were also found in regulatory characteristics across the behavioral, cognitive, and emotional domains. Furthermore, successful problem-solving performance on executive function tasks showed a stronger association with behavioral regulation in children with ADHD than in TD children. Conclusion: Problem-solving ability in executive function significantly influences behavioral regulation in children with ADHD. Incorporating these functions into cognitive interventions may improve behavioral regulation. Future research should use larger samples and examine differences by ADHD subtype.