First-Year GPA and Academic Service Use Among College Students With and Without ADHD

Objective: ADHD is a chronic neurodevelopmental disorder that typically results in persistent academic difficulties over time. Although most colleges offer support services, students often do not use the available services or those to which they are entitled. The present study examined predictors of academic performance among college students with and without ADHD. In addition, the rate, predictors, and outcomes of academic service use were explored. Methods: A series of multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVAs) and regression analyses were conducted using SPSS v. 21 ® software. Results: First year college students with ADHD earned significantly lower grade point averages (GPAs) relative to students without ADHD. Additionally, ADHD combined with other disorders, but not ADHD alone, predicted higher rates of service use relative to students without ADHD. Finally, the findings suggest that typically available academic services are not independently related to GPA among first-year college students with or without ADHD. Conclusion: This study replicates previous work demonstrating significantly lower GPAs among a rigorously defined sample of students with ADHD relative to students without ADHD. Second, this study indicates that traditional predictors of college success may be less meaningful for students with ADHD relative to those without ADHD. Finally, additional research needs to be conducted regarding the use and effectiveness of academic services on college campuses

Predictors and Moderators of Quality of Life Among College Students With ADHD

Objective: The current study examines (a) whether ADHD among college students is associated with differences in perceptions of quality of life (QoL); (b) the moderating roles of comorbidity, drug use, psychopharmacological treatment, and psychosocial treatment; and (c) the total impact of these variables on QoL. Method: Participants were college students with and without ADHD (N = 372) in a longitudinal study. Results: College students with ADHD were more likely to assert negative global QoL evaluations relative to non-ADHD peers. The relationship between ADHD and QoL was not altered as a function of medication treatment, comorbid psychopathology, psychosocial treatment, or drug use. Conclusion: College students with ADHD behave similarly to other adults with ADHD in that they make lower subjective global evaluations of their QoL relative to their non-ADHD agemates. Other factors associated with ADHD and QoL do not appear to moderate this relationship

The predictive validity of parent and teacher reports of ADHD symptoms

The objectives were to evaluate the ability of the Inattention and Hyperactivity-Impulsivity factors of the ADHD Rating Scale-IV to differentiate children with ADHD from a control group and to discriminate children with different subtypes of ADHD. Also, we sought to determine optimal cutoff scores on the teacher and parent versions of this scale for making diagnostic decisions about ADHD. In a sample of 92 boys and girls 6 to 14 years of age referred to a regional ADHD program, we assessed ADHD diagnostic status using categorical and dimensional approaches as well as parent- and teacher-report measures. Logistic regression analyses showed that the Inattention and Hyperactivity-Impulsivity factors of the ADHD Rating Scale-IV were effective in discriminating children with ADHD from a control group and differentiating children with ADHD, Combined Type from ADHD, Inattentive Type. Although both teacher and parent ratings were significantly predictive of diagnostic status, teacher ratings made a stronger contribution to the prediction of subtype membership. Using symptom utility estimates, optimal cutoff scores on the Inattention and Hyperactivity-Impulsivity scales for predicting subtypes of ADHD were determined

Impact of Study Skills and Parent Education on First-Year GPA Among College Students With and Without ADHD: A Moderated Mediation Model

Objective: To test if the relationship between ADHD and academic achievement is mediated by service utilization and/or study skills, and if these mediation effects are moderated by parental education level. Method: A bootstrapping method within structural equation modeling was used with data from 355 first year college students meeting strict criteria for ADHD or clearly without ADHD to test the mediation and moderation effects. Results: Study skills, but not service utilization, significantly mediated the relationship between ADHD status and GPA; however, this relationship was not significant among students with at least one parent holding a master’s degree or higher. Conclusion: Among first year college students study skills may be a more salient predictor of educational outcomes relative to ADHD status. Additional research into support services for college students with ADHD is needed, however, results suggest interventions targeting study skills may hold particular promise for these students

Safety and efficacy of ABT-089 in pediatric attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: results from two randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the safety and efficacy of ABT-089, a novel α(4)β(2) neuronal nicotinic receptor partial agonist, vs. placebo in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHOD: Two multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group studies of children 6 through 12 years of age were conducted. Study 1 (n = 274) assessed six treatment groups over 8 weeks: 4 once-daily (QD) ABT-089 doses (0.085-0.700 mg/kg), QD atomoxetine, and placebo. Study 2 (n = 119) assessed three treatment groups over 6 weeks: 2 QD ABT-089 doses (0.7 mg/kg, 1.4 mg/kg) and placebo. The primary efficacy variable was the investigator-administered Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Rating Scale-IV: Home Version (ADHD-RS-IV [HV]) Total Score. Safety was assessed by adverse event (AE) monitoring, laboratory tests, vital signs, physical examinations, and electrocardiogram measures. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference between ABT-089 and placebo in mean change from baseline to final evaluation of ADHD-RS-IV (HV) Total Score or other outcome measures at any dose in either study. In Study 1, atomoxetine showed statistically significant improvement for the primary and most secondary endpoints. ABT-089 was generally safe and well tolerated, with no statistically significant difference between any ABT-089 dose and placebo in the overall incidence of any specific AE, and no clinically significant changes in other safety measures. CONCLUSIONS: ABT-089 did not show efficacy on the primary efficacy variable, the ADHD-RS-IV (HV) Total Score, or other measures of ADHD symptomatology in children with ADHD, and had a safety profile similar to placebo. These results contrast with published reports of efficacy of nicotinic modulators in adults with ADHD

An Individual Participant Data Meta-analysis: Behavioral Treatments for Children and Adolescents With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Objective: Behavioral interventions are well established treatments for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, insight into moderators of treatment outcome is limited.Method: We conducted an individual participant data meta-analysis [IPDMA], including data of randomized controlled behavioral intervention trials for individuals with ADHD[less than]18 years. Outcomes were symptoms of ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and conduct disorder (CD) and impairment. Moderators investigated were symptoms and impairment severity, medication use, age, IQ, sex, socioeconomic status, and single parenthood. Results: For raters most proximal to treatment, small to medium sized effects of behavioral interventions were found for symptoms of ADHD, inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity (HI), ODD and CD, and impairment. Blinded outcomes were only available for small preschool subsamples and limited measures. CD symptoms and/or diagnosis moderated outcome on ADHD, HI, ODD, and CD symptoms. Single parenthood moderated ODD outcome, ADHD severity moderated impairment outcome. Higher baseline CD or ADHD symptoms, a CD diagnosis, and single parenthood were related to worsening of symptoms in the untreated, but not in the treated group, indicating a protective rather than an ameliorative effect of behavioral interventions for these children.Conclusion: Behavioral treatments are effective for reducing ADHD symptoms, behavioral problems, and impairment as reported by raters most proximal to treatment. Those with severe CD or ADHD symptoms, a CD diagnosis, or single parents, should be prioritized for treatment, as they may evidence worsening of symptoms in the absence of intervention

ADHD in college students: Developmental findings

According to the American Psychiatric Association [DSM-IV-TR, 2000], Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) affects ∼3-7% of the school aged population and 2-4% of the adult population. Recently, college students with ADHD have begun to receive more attention, largely due to the increase in numbers of high school students with ADHD pursuing higher education, as well as reports of prescription stimulant misuse on college campuses. The purpose of the present article is to summarize major research findings concerning developmental issues facing college students with ADHD. Overall, findings suggest that relative to the general college population, college students with ADHD are at greater risk for academic and psychological difficulties, and misuse of prescription stimulants is indeed a problem on many campuses. Primary treatment strategies include psychostimulant medication, coaching, and educational accommodations; however, very little controlled treatment outcome research has been conducted with this population. These findings are preliminary and are tempered by methodological limitations as well as the small number of studies that have been conducted. Future research using larger sample sizes, rigorous assessment criteria, and employing longitudinal designs is needed to better understand the developmental issues facing college students with ADHD. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc