ADHD Symptoms, Interpersonal Functioning, and Sexual Orientation in Undergraduate Adults

Several difficulties are commonly observed in individuals living with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), such as interpersonal and romantic relationship issues. Although multiple studies have investigated the association between interpersonal relationships and ADHD, few have considered the role of sexual orientation. A total of 702 participants were recruited to complete an online self-report study; after data screening, 639 Canadian undergraduate psychology students (504 heterosexual, 135 non-heterosexual; 78% women) were retained and assessed on ADHD symptoms, attachment, gender role beliefs, intimacy, and social support. Controlling for sex and age, non-heterosexual participants reported significantly higher ADHD symptoms on both the inattention (d = 0.77) and hyperactivity-impulsivity (d = 0.69) subscales and more feminist gender role beliefs (d = 0.99) and were over four times as likely to score above the 90th percentile of the ADHD symptom distribution (OR = 4.46). In a multivariate model, attachment anxiety, gender role beliefs, and sexual orientation each independently predicted ADHD symptoms (R² = .25). The associations between interpersonal variables and ADHD symptoms were largely similar across groups, and sexual orientation did not moderate them; an apparent difference in the social support association did not survive covariate control or a sensitivity analysis and is treated as exploratory. Given the cross-sectional design, these results suggest that factors beyond interpersonal functioning, such as minority stress, may contribute to the elevated ADHD symptoms observed among non-heterosexual individuals.