Dorien Bangma

186 | CHAPTER 8 Inadequate financial decision-making can have major negative consequences for individuals, such as debts and poverty, and further investigation of this topic in adults with ADHD is, therefore, important. According to the framework of Appelbaum et al. (2016), financial decision-making requires adequate financial competence (i.e., practical financial skills, knowledge and the ability to judge and make decisions), but also relies on financial performances. The latter describes the abilities and behaviors that affect the degree of success when making financial decisions, such as the use of specific decision styles or buying on impulse. For example, one may be financially competent but unable to make adequate financial decisions due to deficiencies in financial performance. Research should, therefore, not only focus on financial competence but also on financial performances when studying financial decision-making. Furthermore, according to the framework of Appelbaum et al. (2016), contextual factors might also be of influence on both financial competence and financial performances and need to be taken into account. The aims of the present study are, therefore, (1) to investigate the impact of current symptoms of ADHD on two types of financial performance, i.e., impulsive buying and the use of financial decision styles, (2) to partly replicate a recent study on financial decision-making in adults with ADHD (Bangma et al., 2019) and (3) to determine whether symptoms of depression and personality traits are of influence on the association between impulsive buying, the use of financial decision styles and symptoms of ADHD. The latter are considered to be potentially influential contextual factors and are of interest as symptoms of depression are prevalent in adults with ADHD (Katzman et al., 2017) and because specific personality profiles have been linked to ADHD (see Gomez and Corr (2014) for a meta-analytic review). Moreover, personality and symptoms of depression, on itself, have both been discussed in the context of decision-making (Bishop & Gagne, 2018; Bratko et al., 2013; Dewberry et al., 2013; Verplanken & Herabadi, 2001; Weller et al., 2018). A community sample is used in the present study which allows a detailed exploration of the associations between impulsive buying, the use of financial decision styles and symptoms of ADHD since not only adults with and without ADHD can be compared, but also comparisons can be made with adults with signs of ADHD that are considered subthreshold for a clinical diagnosis but which still might be of influence on the use of financial decision styles and impulsive buying. Based on previous research (Bangma et al., 2019), a positive relation is expected between the severity of symptoms of ADHD and the tendency to buy on impulse and the use of inadequate financial decision styles (i.e., an avoidant and a spontaneous decision style; Bavol’ár & Orosová, 2015). Furthermore, it is expected that individuals who meet self-reported symptom criteria of adult ADHD show more problems with these types of financial performance and in their personal financial situation compared to individuals who do not meet a clinically relevant number of criteria of ADHD (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).