Objective: Adults often select romantic partners who behave like they do (i.e. assortative mating). However, little is known about whether assortative mating is common among adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and whether it is related to associated problems. Method: About 94 adults without ADHD, 43 adults with childhood ADHD histories but without current symptoms or impairment (ADHD-Desist), 27 adults with childhood ADHD histories and elevated current symptoms and impairment (ADHD-Persist) rated their partners’ ADHD symptoms and their own associated problems (e.g., intimate partner violence, financial difficulties). Results: The ADHD-Persist group reported that their partners exhibited more ADHD symptoms than the ADHD-Desist group and those without ADHD. Adults in the ADHD-Persist group who had partners with elevated ADHD symptoms endorsed high intimate partner violence and financial difficulties. Conclusion: Assortative mating appears to be common among adults with ADHD, especially those with persistent symptoms, and to increase risk of additional problems.
“Everyday Neuroscience” is an academically based community service (ABCS) course
in which college students teach basic neuroscience lab activities to high school
students in an under-funded school district, working in small groups on hands-on science
activities for 10 weekly sessions. The present study examined the possible psychological
and social effects of this experience on the college students, in comparison with peers
not enrolled in such a course, by observing and surveying the high school and college
students across the 10-week course period. First, the teaching-learning sessions in the
course successfully promoted science-focused discussion between the high school and
college students for 45 to 60 minutes each week. Second, college students in “Everyday
Neuroscience” reported higher positive affect and less intergroup anxiety at the end of
the semester compared with the control group of college students who were not in the
course. Finally, surveys of the high school students revealed that they found the
sessions to be positive social experiences. These findings reveal that a
neuroscience-based community engagement course can be both a positive experience for the
community partner and a benefit for college students by promoting psychological and
social wellness.
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