(PS11-A4) ADHD Knowledge and Perceived Symptom Impact on Social Relationships in college Students with ADHD

College students with ADHD often have challenges with social relationships that warrant individualized interventions. Many interventions involve psychoeducation components, but limited research examines the relationship between increased understanding of ADHD and social outcomes in emerging adults.

This study involved 220 first year college students with ADHD (52.2% female; 76.8% Caucasian) who completed surveys during their first year of college about ADHD knowledge (Test of ADHD Knowledge-40; Anastopoulos et al., 2021) and ADHD symptom severity (Conners Adult ADHD Rating Scales; Conners et al., 1998), and each year for 3 additional years about perceived impact of ADHD on their social relationships (ADHD Impact Module – Relationships/Communication; Landgraf et al., 2007).

A two-level hierarchical linear model examined the impact of ADHD knowledge at the start of college, controlling for gender and ADHD symptom severity, on perceived impact of ADHD on social relationships both at the start of college and overtime. Controlling for the effects of gender, inattention symptoms, and hyperactive-impulsive symptoms, ADHD knowledge was a significant predictor of perceived impact of ADHD on relationships t(215) = 2.008, p = .046 at the start of college, with greater knowledge predicting diminished impact of ADHD symptoms on relationships/communication. Both inattention (t(215) = -2.98, p < .01) and hyperactivity-impulsivity (t(215) = -2.09, p < .05 ) were associated with increased symptom impact, while gender did not significantly contribute to the model (p = .079). ADHD knowledge was a marginally significant predictor of the time slope for perceived symptom impact on social relationships, such that the effects of knowledge decreased, t(215) = -1.69, p = .092. Gender, inattention, and hyperactivity-impulsivity were not significant predictors of the slope (p = .17; p</em> = .95, p = .25). Comparing the unconditional growth model to the final conditional growth model, the added level two predictors in the conditional model improved model fit, χ2 (8) = 27.31, p < .001 and accounted for 19.09% of variance in perceived symptom impact on social relationships.

Results indicate that increased ADHD knowledge is associated with decreases in perceived impact of ADHD on social relationships concurrently. These results suggest implications for psychoeducation-based interventions for college students with ADHD. The findings from this study, along with similar research outcomes (citations masked for review), may better inform practitioners and professionals in higher education working with students with ADHD in college. Specifically, findings emphasize the importance of better understanding one’s own ADHD symptomatology in a developmentally appropriate way for the new college setting and how it can impact college life outside of the classroom.