ADHD and Psychological Need Fulfillment in College Students

Abstract

Objective: Self-determination theory suggests that the satisfaction and frustration of basic psychological needs—autonomy, competence, relatedness—are uniquely associated with overall well-being. Undergraduates with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) experience more academic-related impairment and are less likely to graduate. Thus, well-being is important to understand and aim to improve in these students. Method: Students at four universities ( N = 2,197) completed a survey and reported previous diagnoses, ADHD symptoms, and psychological need satisfaction and frustration. Group differences were explored via t-tests; associations were explored via structural equation modeling. Results: The ADHD group reported lower satisfaction and higher frustration across all psychological needs. Inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity were uniquely associated with aspects of need fulfillment beyond the impact of comorbid symptoms. Sex differences emerged such that women with ADHD had the lowest overall need satisfaction. Conclusions: Addressing need fulfillment, both satisfaction and frustration, in interventions with undergraduates with clinical/subclinical levels of ADHD may optimize treatment effectiveness.

Positive Distance Learning Perception, Personal Resources, and Loneliness Among Higher Education Students With ADHD and/or SLD

“…While the move to distance learning was challenging for students in general (Marinoni et al, 2020), it was more complicated for students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and specific learning disorders (SLD) (Kalman-Halevi et al, 2023), for whom having to adjust to a new learning environment and new technological requirements alongside social distancing and loneliness (Crawford et al, 2020;Engler et al, 2020) posed significant challenges due to generally lower feelings of competence (Serrano et al, 2023), fewer personal resources such as academic self-efficacy (ASE), a lower sense of coherence (SOC) (Ben-Naim et al, 2017;Yu et al, 2018), and higher levels of loneliness (Laslo-Roth et al, 2022;Sharabi et al, 2016) than students without these disabilities. Indeed, studies conducted in the adjustment period to distance learning during the pandemic found that students with ADHD and SLD reported greater learning difficulties and a negative experience with distance learning, alongside greater social and personal difficulties and higher levels of loneliness as an expression of their distress compared to students without these disabilities (Kalman-Halevi et al, 2023;Laslo Roth et al, 2022;Zhang et al, 2020).…”