## 5 The Association Between CDS and ED  
A growing body of research has focused on the relationship between ED and CDS. Findings suggest that CDS might be associated with lower ER skills both in children and adults [4]. A study by [PERSON] et al. [69] has addressed this issue by investigating the mediating role of ED in the association between CDS and social impairment in college students. The findings show that participants with high levels of CDS exhibited increased symptoms of ADHD, depression, and anxiety, as well as greater difficulties in ER and social adjustment compared to those without high CDS [69]. Notably, CDS was strongly associated with social impairment, independent of other psychopathological conditions, although it did not predict general interpersonal functioning. Additionally, CDS was associated with ED, even after controlling for the significant relationship between depression and ED. Moreover, ED was found to mediate the relationship between CDS and social impairment [69]. Further research has specifically examined the network structure of the associations between Maladaptive Daydreaming--a core symptom of CDS--and ED in a sample of young adults [70]. This study highlighted a strong interconnection between the two constructs, indicating that poorer ER skills were generally associated with higher severity of Maladaptive Daydreaming [70].  
When discussing findings regarding the association between ED and CDS, the importance of age must be considered. Research suggests that the association between CDS and ED is more pronounced in adults rather than in children [71; 72]. For example, [PERSON] [2] highlighted that difficulties in ER were mostly observed in children with both ADHD and CDS compared to those with ADHD alone, CDS alone, or healthy controls. In contrast, [PERSON] and [PERSON] [71] have examined the association between CDS, ED, and Alexithymia in a sample of adults with ADHD and/or CDS. The participants were categorized into four groups based on the severity of CDS symptoms and the risk for ADHD. The findings highlighted that individuals with both high CDS symptoms and high risk of ADHD had significantly higher levels of ED and Alexithymia compared to the other groups [71]. Regarding youth populations, [PERSON] et al. [66] found that self-reported CDS in children aged 8 to 13 was associated with specific emotional characteristics. Specifically, children who reported higher levels of CDS exhibited reduced emotional inhibition and a greater tendency to engage in maladaptive emotional expression. Similarly, a study conducted on children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years revealed a significant correlation between CDS and ED, even when controlling for inattention (IN) and hyperactivity (HI) symptoms, suggesting a direct association between CDS and emotional difficulties [73]. Expanding on these findings, [PERSON] et al. [74] examined the mediating role of ED in the relationship between CDS, ADHD, and Internalizing/Externalizing disorders in a sample of children aged 8 to 13 Their findings suggested that ED mediates the relationship between CDS, ADHD, anxiety and depression, whereas no significant predictive relationship was found between CDS and ER difficulties [74].