RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between self-reported ADHD and college adjustment. PARTICIPANTS: Study 1 included nearly 3400 undergraduates attending a public and private university. Study 2 included 846 students who participated during freshman and sophomore year. METHOD: Students completed a web-based survey that assessed diagnostic status and adjustment in multiple domains. RESULTS: Relative to other students, those with self-reported ADHD had lower GPAs and reported more academic concerns, depressive symptoms, social concerns, emotional instability, and substance use. Overall, however, most were making satisfactory adjustments in these domains. Benefits of medication treatment were not found. Freshman year ADHD predicted lower GPA, increased academic concerns and alcohol use, and smoking initiation. CONCLUSION: Students with ADHD struggled relative to peers but most were adjusting reasonably well across multiple domains. Future research should move beyond the use of self-reported diagnosis and more carefully examine the impact of medication treatment in this population.
Asunto(s)
Trastorno por Déficit de Atención con Hiperactividad/psicología , Ajuste Social , Estudiantes/psicología , Universidades/estadística & datos numéricos , Logro , Adulto , Consumo de Bebidas Alcohólicas/psicología , Trastorno por Déficit de Atención con Hiperactividad/diagnóstico , Distribución de Chi-Cuadrado , Estudios Transversales , Manual Diagnóstico y Estadístico de los Trastornos Mentales , Femenino , Humanos , Estudios Longitudinales , Masculino , Grupo Paritario , Autoimagen , Conducta Social , Medio Social , Encuestas y CuestionariosRESUMEN
Research on the correlates of ADHD subtypes has yielded inconsistent findings, perhaps because the procedures used to define subtypes vary across studies. We examined this possibility by investigating whether the ADHD subtype distribution in a community sample was sensitive to different methods for combining informant data. We conducted a study to screen all children in grades 1-5 (N = 7847) in a North Carolina County for ADHD. Teachers completed a DSM-IV behavior rating scale and parents completed a structured telephone interview. We found substantial differences in the distribution of ADHD subtypes depending on whether one or both sources were used to define the subtypes. When parent and teacher data were combined, the procedures used substantially influenced subtype distribution. We conclude the ADHD subtype distribution is sensitive to how symptom information is combined and that standardization of the subtyping process is required to advance our understanding of the correlates of different ADHD subtypes.