(PS11-B29) Impact of Social Competence on Academic Functioning: Exploration of Underlying Mechanisms Among Adolescents with and Without ADHD Across Middle and High School

Background: There is growing evidence that interpersonal competencies including social acceptance and quality friendships are positively associated with academic performance across the transition from middle to high school (Wentzel et al., 2021). These social competencies may be particularly protective for adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who are at an elevated risk for experiencing academic impairments (Becker, 2020). Dvorsky et al (2016) found social acceptance protected against the impact of ADHD severity on academic performance among adolescents with ADHD, however, it is unknown whether these processes are unique for adolescents with vs. without ADHD. Moreover, the underlying mechanisms for understanding how social competence facilitates academic performance remain unknown. Adolescents’ self-efficacy, academic engagement, and executive functioning (EF) may be intermediate mechanisms for linking social acceptance to academic performance (Dvorsky et al., 2018; Langberg et al., 2013; Zelazo & Carson, 2020). The present study builds on prior work by evaluating multiple potential mechanisms as rated by both adolescents and their parents.

Method: The current study examines whether EF, academic engagement, and self-efficacy explains the longitudinal relation between social acceptance and school grades (GPA) across middle to high school in 302 adolescents with and without ADHD (54.0% with ADHD; Mage = 13.17; 45% female; 81.8% White). In fall of eighth grade (T1), adolescents reported on their social acceptance and school records were obtained for GPA. In spring of eighth grade (T2), adolescents and parents completed ratings of EF, self-efficacy, and school engagement, and in fall of tenth grade (T3), school records were obtained for GPA. Covariates included adolescent sex, age, ADHD group status, and T1 GPA. The indirect effect and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using 10,000 bias-corrected bootstrapped sampling estimates.

Results: Above and beyond covariates and baseline GPA, T1 self-reported social acceptance was associated with increased T3 GPA via significant T2 mediating mechanisms of adolescent-rated self-efficacy (ab = .04, SE = .02, 95% CI [.002, .08]), academic engagement (ab = .06, SE = .02, 95% CI [.02, .11]), and parent-rated EF (ab = .04, SE = .02, 95% CI [.002, .08]). We also found a conditional indirect effect for ADHD status such that academic engagement and EFs significantly mediated this association, only for adolescents with ADHD (ADHD: ab = .09, SE=.04, 95% CI [.02, .19], and ADHD: ab = .07, SE=.04, 95% CI [.01, .16], respectively).

Conclusion: Adolescents’ social competence may facilitate their engagement in school and practice of EF skills, buffering against academic impairment particularly for adolescents with ADHD. Improving social competencies as well as increasing adolescent engagement and executive functioning may be important targets for treatment with adolescents with ADHD. We will discuss implications for intervention development focused on increasing positive interpersonal competencies as well as more immediate targets of facilitating engagement, executive functioning, and self-efficacy.