ADHD symptomology and impairment: Relevance to postsecondary education

ADHD is a pervasive and persistent condition which continues into adulthood with a prevalence rate of 5%. Research demonstrates that 2% to 4% of the college learner population is affected by ADHD and, interestingly enough, ADHD symptomology prevalence rates have been shown to be higher than expected within the general college population. ADHD is a condition that is attributed to deficits in executive functioning. With the knowledge that ADHD negatively impacts various life domains, this study considered the relationship between the levels of symptom severity and the impairment domains of executive functioning, interpersonal, and mental/physical. Participants for the project were 192 undergraduate learners who completed a 36 item questionnaire. Results indicated that bivariate correlations demonstrated a relationship existed between total symptomology and level of impairment. Severe symptomology predicted impairment in executive functioning and interpersonal domains as moderate levels of symptomology predicted impairment in only the domain of executive functioning. Mild symptomology did not demonstrate to predict impairment in any of the three impairment domains. As previous research has demonstrated, college learners demonstrate a relationship between ADHD symptomology and the impairment domain of executive functioning. With this knowledge it is paramount that postsecondary instructors not only have a general awareness and understanding of ADHD but also have a deeper knowledge of executive functioning as well as how the deficits in this area impacts the lives of all college learners.