ADHD Symptoms as a Risk Factor in the Adjustment of College Students with Specific Learning Disabilities

The present study investigated the contributions of risk and protective factors to the academic, social and emotional adjustment and academic achievement of college students. Theories emphasizing the impact of risk and protective factors on resilience formed the theoretical context for the study.

We compared differences among three groups of Israeli undergraduate college students (N= 261): students with SLD only, students with comorbid SLD and ADHD symptoms, and students without SLD or ADHD.

Multivariate analyses of covariance of the group differences indicated that students with comorbid SLD and ADHD reported poorer functioning than the students without disabilities on measures of personal resources: Sense of Coherence (SOC), Test Anxiety (TA) and Executive Functioning (EF). They also had lower scores on Academic, Personal-Emotional and Social Adjustment and Academic Achievement (AA). Students in the comorbidity group and the typical student group reported a higher level of learning strategy (LS) use than the SLD-only group.

Structural Equation Modeling analyses found that comorbidity of SLD and ADHD was a stronger predictor of students` SOC, EF, Perceived Social Support and TA than SLD only. Comorbidity also contributed indirectly to lower emotional adjustment as compared to the SLD-only group. Emotional resources, with the exception of SOC, did not predict academic adjustment. The only significant predictor of AA, as measured by current GPA, was use of LS.

The results suggest that having ADHD in addition to SLD was shown to be more detrimental to adjustment than SLD only. Support services should be tailored to the needs of such students.