SELF RATINGS OF MOOD LEVELS AND MOOD VARIABILITY AS PREDICTORS OF JUNIOR I-6 IMPULSIVITY AND ADHD CLASSROOM BEHAVIORS

In an unselected sample of children in grades four and five, two dimen sions of mood, affect and arousal, were assessed over a 2-week period. Consistent with findings on adults, it was found that boys scoring hi gh on the Junior I-6 Impulsiveness scale were characterized by more ne gative levels of affect and more variable affect. Impulsive boys also perceived themselves as having lower arousal levels and greater variab ility of arousal. Emotion appears to be an important component of impu lsivity, at least in boys. The mood measures explained from 18 to 43% of the variance in impulsivity. In girls, variability of mood and vari ability of arousal was associated with teacher ratings of ADHD classro om behaviors. None of the correlations between impulsiveness and the C TRS-39 subscales were significant.