Emotional Regulation Interventions for Teenagers with ADHD

Plain-language summary

Research suggests that interventions focusing on emotional regulation skills can be helpful for teenagers with ADHD. While mindfulness-based approaches are being explored, and a specific intervention called RELAX shows promise, more research is needed to fully understand their effectiveness and how they compare to traditional treatments.

Key findings

• Mindfulness-based family interventions are being studied as a potential way to help children and adolescents with ADHD, with research looking into how these interventions work.
• A review of existing research highlights that emotional difficulties are a significant aspect of ADHD that often doesn't receive as much attention as cognitive aspects.
• The RELAX (Regulating Emotions Like An eXpert) intervention is a newly developed program designed to help adolescents with ADHD and their families manage emotion dysregulation and conflict.
• Preliminary studies suggest that the RELAX intervention can be delivered effectively both in-person and through telehealth, showing acceptable and feasible results.
• Emotion regulation training specifically designed for adolescents with ADHD is being investigated as a way to improve their emotional skills, with early studies focusing on its feasibility.

Studies cited (4)

1. [Emotional alterations in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: existing data and open questions] — Albert J, López-Martín S, Fernández-Jaén A (2008, Revista de neurologia, review)

   INTRODUCTION: Research on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has focused mainly on cognitive aspects, leaving in the background the study of the affective deficiencies accompanying the disorder. AIMS: To review the research on emotional competence of children, teenagers and adults with ADHD (recognition, regulation, and expression of emotions), and identify which issues have been scarcely studied yet and require further attention. DEVELOPMENT: Convergent data from different behavioral studies indicate that children as well as adults with ADHD show a primary dysfunction in the reco

2. Development and Refinement of the RELAX Intervention, an Intervention Targeting Emotion Dysregulation and Interpersonal Conflict in Adolescents with ADHD: Results from a Pilot Study — R. Breaux, J. Langberg (2020, , other)

   ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to refine and conduct a pilot evaluation of the RELAX (Regulating Emotions Like An eXpert) intervention for families of adolescents with ADHD. RELAX was refined based on 12 community clinicians’ feedback. RELAX was then implemented with 18 adolescents with ADHD and their caregivers (14 mothers, 3 fathers, 1 grandmother). Outcomes included parent and adolescent ratings of adolescent emotion dysregulation and family conflict; parent self-report of emotion dysregulation; coded parent emotion socialization behaviors during a conflict discussion; and weekly pa

3. Telehealth Delivery of the RELAX Intervention for Families of Adolescents Diagnosed with ADHD: Preliminary Treatment Outcomes and Evidence of Acceptability and Feasibility — R. Breaux, Delshad M. Shroff, A. R. Cash (2021, Evidence-Based Practice in Child and Adolescent Mental Health, other)

   ABSTRACT Regulating Emotions Like An eXpert (RELAX) is a group-based intervention that targets emotion dysregulation (ED) and interpersonal conflict among adolescents diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study is a preliminary evaluation of the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of RELAX across in-person and telehealth groups, examining differences in treatment outcomes and feedback based on format. Participants included 32 families (18 in-person, 14 telehealth) with adolescents diagnosed with ADHD, ages 11–16. Caregiver-, clinician- and adolescent-report

4. Emotion regulation training for adolescents with ADHD: a multiple-baseline single-case experimental study. — Rebecka Astenvald, M. Isaksson, Jenny Meyer (2025, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, other)

   Adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often experience difficulties with emotion regulation, but treatment alternatives remain limited. This study investigates the feasibility and effectiveness of a newly developed psychological intervention aiming to increase emotion regulation skills in adolescent ADHD. A single-case experimental design with multiple baselines across participants was employed. Seven girls aged 13-17 years with ADHD completed the intervention. Outcomes of feasibility included attrition and retention rates, therapist-rated adherence, homework complet