(PS11-A2) College During COVID-19: The Pandemic’s Effect on College Adjustment in First-year Students with and Without ADHD

Background: The transition to college is often difficult for first-year students, and adapting to independent living, the loss of parental support, and heightened self-management demands are common challenges. Students beginning college during the COVID-19 pandemic experienced an entirely different transition to college, first-year experience, and mode of learning than is typical.1,2 Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with lower college readiness3, greater difficulties in college adjustment4, and poorer adaptation to the COVID-19 pandemic5 in adults, indicating that the pandemic may have differentially impacted the transition to college for students with ADHD. This study aimed to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the functioning of undergraduate students and compared the adjustment to college in first-year students with and without ADHD. 

Methods: Data were obtained from self-report questionnaires through an online survey collected at several universities as part of a multisite research initiative investigating behavior, attention, and learning styles. Measures examined ADHD diagnosis and symptoms, functional impairments, and experiences transitioning to college. Participants were 3,006 first-year, undergraduate college students between the ages of 18 and 25 (Mage=18.32) from two cohorts [2018-2019 (pre-pandemic) and 2020-2021 (during the pandemic) academic years]. 8.2% of respondents met criteria for ADHD. 

Results: First-year college students reported significantly greater functional impairment in academic skills, skills of daily living, and overall functional impairment during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic. These first-year college students, regardless of ADHD status, were similarly impacted by the pandemic in the domains of skills of daily living impairment and overall impairment. However, first-year college students without ADHD reported significantly more academic impairment during the pandemic (M=.55, SD=.56) than pre-pandemic (M=.35, SD=.44) while those with ADHD reported comparatively less change in academic impairment (pre-pandemic: M=.80, SD=.62; pandemic: M=.85, SD=.63). During the pandemic, compared to college students without ADHD, college students with ADHD reported greater functional impairment, more difficulty adjusting to the academic demands of college (p< 0.01, d=.855), were less likely to feel valued at their institution (p< 0.01, d=.766), or feel a sense of belonging at their institution (p< 0.01, d=.812). 


Conclusions:   First-year college students with ADHD experience functional impairments and difficulties navigating the transition to college. Psychosocial and academic interventions to help students with ADHD transition to college are needed. Due to the greater functional impairments of first-year college students during the pandemic, resources and support could be helpful in reducing negative outcomes.