Caught in the moment: Do momentary dissociative aspects differentiate Maladaptive daydreaming from ADHD?

Maladaptive daydreaming (MD) is a clinical condition of recurring, and prolonged episodes of daydreaming, resulting in distress and impaired functioning. It is often considered a dissociative syndrome of pathological “absorption and imaginative involvement” motivated by escapism. However, it shares the adverse outcome of attention impairment with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Despite MD being characterized by immersive daydreaming whereas ADHD by mind wandering, both conditions hinder attention via shifting attention inwards at the expense of actively pursuing personal goals. While previous studies supported the separateness of the conditions, they have not compared moment-to-moment dynamics. The present study aimed to explore whether momentary elevations in the motivation to daydream and in immersive daydreaming are accompanied by heightened dissociative characteristics (absorption and detachment), and whether this dynamic distinguishes MD from ADHD. Using experience sampling, four groups of: ADHD ( n = 35), MD ( n = 48), ADHD + MD ( n = 33), and Controls ( n = 35), diagnosed through a clinical interview, rated their daydreaming and dissociation levels four times a day across five days. Each group was predominantly female, and the MD groups were significantly younger than the non-MD groups (ADHD 68.57%, M age = 39.9, MD 66.66%, M age = 29.4, ADHD + MD 81.81%, M age = 30.8, Control 60%, M age = 37.1). Immersive daydreaming and the desire to daydream fluctuated in tandem with increased dissociation (both absorption and detachment). Moreover, an expected interaction effect emerged, whereby the coupling of immersive daydreaming with dissociation was more pronounced in MD compared to ADHD. When focusing on the desire to daydream, and/or when comparing to controls, the interaction effects were limited to absorption and not detachment. The present study supports the notion that MD momentary dynamics are distinguished from ADHD distractibility.