Neuropsychological functioning in college students with and without ADHD.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Education

Background:

• Increasing numbers of college students are diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
• Limited empirical data exists on the functional impairments experienced by college students with ADHD.
• Previous research on neuropsychological functioning in college students with ADHD has yielded inconsistent findings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine executive function (EF) and intelligence in first-year college students with and without ADHD.
• To investigate the association between stimulant medication use and neuropsychological performance in students with ADHD.
• To analyze 4-year outcomes within the Trajectories Related to ADHD in College project.

Main Methods:

• A longitudinal study involving 436 first-year college students (51.6% female) with and without ADHD.
• Performance on executive function and intelligence measures was assessed.
• Self-reported stimulant medication use was analyzed in relation to neuropsychological performance.

Main Results:

• Students with ADHD performed significantly worse on executive function measures (both task-based and self-report) compared to the control group.
• No significant differences in intellectual performance were observed between students with and without ADHD.
• Stimulant medication use was linked to improved performance on some, but not all, neuropsychological tasks within the ADHD group.

Conclusions:

• College students with ADHD exhibit poorer executive function compared to their peers without ADHD.
• Psychostimulant medication use is associated with enhanced executive function performance in students with ADHD.
• Comorbid psychiatric diagnoses alongside ADHD are associated with poorer executive function outcomes.