Self-regulation and internal resources in school-aged children with ADHD symptomatology: an investigation using the Rorschach inkblot method.

Overview

This study assesses the capacity for emotional self-regulation and internal resources in a sample of urban children with ADHD symptomatology using the Rorschach Inkblot Method (RIM). Because these children have profound difficulty with modulating their affect, it is hypothesized that this difficulty would be reflected on RIM variables that have traditionally been thought to reflect the internal resources necessary for these children to regulate emotions. Children with greater ADHD symptoms were found to display lower scores on variables indicating internal resources for emotional self-regulation and stress tolerance (M, EA) relative to a comparison group with fewer ADHD symptoms. The research and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.