ADHD and Common Mental Disorders: Effect on Academic Success in SA First-Years

Objective. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms are highly prevalent among university students. These symptoms, particularly the inattentive cluster, predispose students to poorer academic performance and worse academic adjustment. Moreover, ADHD symptoms are often comorbid with other common mental disorders; this comorbidity also leads to poor outcomes. South African students often have fewer resources to successfully transition to university. Hence, our longitudinal study used data from a sample of South African first-year undergraduate students to investigate the (a) association between ADHD symptoms and academic performance / adjustment, (b) separate influence of the inattentive and hyperactivity-impulsivity clusters on academic performance / adjustment, and (c) influence of the combination of ADHD and psychiatric comorbidities on academic performance / adjustment. Method. We collected data three times through the first semester of 2023. Predictors within our regression models included sociodemographic variables, psychological variables (self-reported symptoms of ADHD, depression, anxiety, risky alcohol use symptoms), and high school academic performance. Outcomes were first-semester GPA and self-reported academic adjustment. Results. Analyses showed that, unlike academic performance (N = 506), academic adjustment (N = 180) was significantly (p < .05) predicted by ADHD symptoms and the combination of ADHD, depression, and anxiety symptoms. Inattentive ADHD symptoms predicted both academic performance and academic adjustment. Conclusions. Our findings suggest that ADHD (both with and without other common mental disorders) influences academic adjustment, and that inattentive symptoms of ADHD affect both academic performance and academic adjustment. These findings are significant in informing future interventions targeting the academic outcomes of first-year university students.