- Available evidence suggests that students with ADHD who experience sufficient academic success to enroll in college earn poorer grades than their peers, however, some studies have relied on clinic-based samples that may or may not be representative of the general population of students with ADHD.
- One study suggested that students with ADHD seen at a university counseling reported GPAs that were one full standard deviation below average, and were more likely to be on academic probation.
- Available research suggests that college students with ADHD are less confident than other students regarding their ability to academically succeed.
- Students with ADHD perceive themselves as struggling with their study and organizational skills, consistent with previous findings.
- As a result of these students with ADHD perceiving themselves as struggling more, they report more problems using study aids, test strategies, and time management strategies than students surveyed with learning disabilities.

What do we know about ADHD in college students: Academics

- Research on the social functioning of college students with ADHD is relatively limited, and researchers found only three studies that explicitly dealt with this variable.
- In an initial study of social functioning and romantic relationship, students with ADHD who sought services at a university counseling center did not report more interpersonal problems than other students seen at the center.
- More recent studies point toward greater social difficulties among students with ADHD, in which one study found that students with self-reported ADHD acknowledged more concerns about their social relationships than did their peers.
- Research that has specifically examined heterosexual relationship outcomes for students with ADHD is very limited.
- One study found that males with inattentive subtype ADHD experienced greater relationship difficulties than males with hyperactive-impulsive subtype or combined subtype.

What do we know about ADHD in college students: Social Functioning and Romanic Relationships

- Studies examining psychological and emotional functioning in college students with ADHD have yielded somewhat inconsistent findings.
- One researcher reported that students with ADHD seen at a university counseling center did not differ in their level of psychological distress from students seen for career concerns.
- Other findings suggest that college students with ADHD experience greater psychological and emotional difficulties than other students, specifically depressive symptoms.
- Overall, research points in the direction that students with ADHD experience greater emotional distress and psychological difficulties than other students, but more substantial research is still required in this area.

What do we know about ADHD in college students: Psychological and Emotional Functioning

- Research generally indicates that college students with ADHD reported greater rates of drug and alcohol use.
- One study indicated that although they found no difference in alcohol use between students with ADHD and their neurotypical counterpart, students with ADHD report greater use of marijuana.
- Another study indicated that 40% of students with ADHD felt unable to stop drinking when they wanted, and the author interpreted this as them being more prone to binge drinking.
- Many of these studies do not control for symptoms of other disorders, for example conduct disorder symptoms, which are associated with greater substance abuse rates, and tend to be more prevalent among individuals with ADHD.

What do we know about ADHD in college students: Substance and Alcohol Use

Sections:
- Academics
- Social Functioning and Romantic Relationships
- Psychological and Emotional Functioning
- Substance and Alcohol Use

Boston College

Research on ADHD in college students began in the 1990s and has been steadily increasing in recent years. Accumulating research suggest that college students with ADHD experience less academic success and greater psychological and emotional difficulties, and use substances at higher rates. However, conclusions drawn from this body of research may not be representative of the wider population of students with ADHD. This literature review expands upon the growing body of research on ADHD in college students, and touches upon the results of existing studies.

What do we really know about ADHD in college students?

Green, A.L., Rabiner, D.L. What Do We Really Know about ADHD in College Students?. Neurotherapeutics 9, 559–568 (2012). https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.uconn.edu/10.1007/s13311-012-0127-8

Results of several longitudinal studies conducted by the late-1990s indicate that for roughly ½ to ⅔ of children with ADHD, symptoms persist into adolescence and adulthood. Even though student with ADHD are less likely than their peers to graduate from high school and attend college, it is estimated that approximately 25% of college students receiving disabilities are diagnosed with ADHD and this percentage is steadily increasing.

The goal of this study is to review current research addressing a number of issues pertaining to ADHD in college students, including:
- The prevalence in college populations.
- Diagnostic considerations of students.
- The association between ADHD and multiple domains of college adjustment.
- Treatment services for students.

What do we know about ADHD in college students: Introduction

- It has been estimated that between 2-8% of college students in the US have ADHD, however, these estimates are largely based on studies that obtained self-reported symptoms of diagnostic status from a convenience sample of students.
- Other researchers, in order to estimate prevalence, simply ask students whether they have a current ADHD diagnosis, which have estimated that approximately 4.5% of college students have a current ADHD diagnosis.
- The methods used to estimate ADHD prevalence in college populations differ substantially from the guidelines suggested by McGough and Barkley, who suggest that clinicians confirm at least 4 inattentive and/or hyperactive impulsive symptoms are present and contribute to impairment.
- Proper diagnostic techniques/diagnosis confirmation techniques are rarely followed when conducting research on ADHD.

What do we know about ADHD in college students: Prevalence of ADHD in College Students

Sections:
- Problems in the Use of DSM-IV-TR Diagnostic Criteria
- Malingering

What do we know about ADHD in college students: Diagnostic Issues in College Students

What do we know about ADHD in college students: ADHD and the Adjustment of College Students

Sections:
- Medication Treatment
- Misuse and Diversion of ADHD Medications
- Psychosocial Treatment
- Academic Accommodations for Students with ADHD

What do we know about ADHD in college students: Treatment

- Since research on college students with ADHD appeared in the late-1990s, there has been a surge of interest in this population.
- Despite the growing number of research on ADHD in college students, this research remains limited, relative to work conducted on children, adolescents, and adults.
- One particular issue is that most studies on this topic relied on relatively small convenience samples of students at a single institution.
- Much of this research also relied on the self-report diagnostic status of students, which can easily be feigned, or may not apply to this age group.
- Most students also have not considered whether adjustment difficulties thought to be the result of ADHD may be, at least partially, explained by other psychiatric disorders.
- Studies that evaluate the impact of treatment on college students with ADHD are extremely limited.
- To sum up this literature review, although ADHD has become a major area of interest in the study of psychology, there is a very long way for this research to go, since many areas of study are lacking appropriate research and empirical support.

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