ADHD symptoms and problematic digital media use in emerging adults: Investigating the role of cognitive deficits as mediators

• ADHD symptoms were linked to both PSMU and PG in emerging adults. • No mediating effects of inhibitory control, reward sensitivity, or temporal processing were found. • Hyperactivity/impulsivity showed indirect links to PSMU via inhibitory control and temporal processing. • Inhibitory control deficits emerged as a possible transdiagnostic factor for ADHD symptoms and PSMU. • Behavioural task measures showed no explanatory value, unlike self-report measures. This study examined the relationship between ADHD symptoms and problematic social media use (PSMU) and problematic gaming (PG) in a community sample of emerging adults. Cognitive deficits underlying ADHD – inhibitory control deficits, reward sensitivity, and temporal processing deficits – were investigated as potential mechanisms linking ADHD symptoms to PSMU and PG. In a sample of 111 emerging adults ( M age = 21.2, SD = 2.7; 84 % female), ADHD symptoms, PSMU, and PG were assessed using self-report scales, while cognitive deficits were evaluated through both self-report scales and behavioural tasks. Parallel mediation analyses revealed significant positive direct effects between ADHD symptoms and both PSMU and PG, but found no significant mediating effects of the hypothesised mechanisms. Exploratory analyses suggested that inhibitory control and temporal processing deficits may play a role in linking hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms to PSMU, and inhibitory control deficits emerged as a possible transdiagnostic factor for concurrent ADHD symptoms and PSMU. Nonetheless, the main analyses did not support mediation by cognitive deficits, indicating no evidence that they explained the associations between ADHD symptoms and problematic digital media use. Future research could explore such prospective mechanisms in longitudinal designs with representative samples to inform interventions targeting cognitive deficits which may reduce problematic digital media use in individuals with elevated ADHD symptoms.