Self-reported ADHD traits and academic functioning in first-year university students: preliminary findings from Argentina

Introduction

The transition to university involves increased academic autonomy, sustained attention, planning and self-regulation. These demands may be particularly challenging for students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) traits, especially when symptoms have not been previously identified. In university settings, ADHD-related difficulties may appear as inattention, procrastination, internal restlessness, poor time management and emotional strain, rather than overt hyperactivity. Evidence from Latin American higher education contexts remains limited, particularly regarding the association between self-reported ADHD traits and objective indicators of academic functioning.

Aims

To estimate the frequency of self-reported ADHD traits in first-year university students and explore their preliminary association with academic functioning, including first-year grade average and failed or pending subjects.

Methods

This is an ongoing mixed-methods study conducted at Universidad Maimónides, Argentina, among first-year undergraduate students from the Faculty of Health Sciences. The present analysis includes preliminary quantitative data from 107 students who completed the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale version 1.1 (ASRS-v1.1). Positive screening for ADHD traits was defined as four or more clinically significant responses in Part A of the ASRS-v1.1. Academic data, including first-year grade average and number of failed or pending subjects, were available for a subsample of 27 participants. Descriptive statistics were used to estimate screening frequency. Exploratory group comparisons were performed between students with positive and negative ADHD screening. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to examine associations between total ASRS score and academic indicators.

Results

Among 107 participants, 36 students met the positive screening criterion for ADHD traits, corresponding to 33.6% of the sample. The remaining 71 students screened negative. In the academic-data subsample (n = 27), 12 students screened positive and 15 screened negative. Students with positive screening showed a lower mean first-year grade average compared with those who screened negative (6.65 versus 7.47). The mean number of failed or pending subjects was slightly higher among students with positive screening (1.83 versus 1.67). Total ASRS score showed a negative correlation with grade average (r = -0.318), suggesting a tendency for higher ADHD trait burden to be associated with lower academic performance. The correlation between total ASRS score and failed or pending subjects was weak (r = 0.067).

Conclusions

In this preliminary sample of Argentinian first-year university students, self-reported ADHD traits were frequent and showed an exploratory association with lower grade averages. These findings highlight the potential relevance of early screening and institutional strategies aimed at supporting attentional, organizational and executive functioning difficulties in higher education. However, results should be interpreted cautiously due to the limited size of the subsample with academic data and the use of self-report screening rather than diagnostic assessment. Ongoing data collection, including qualitative interviews and a larger set of validated academic records, will allow a more robust analysis of the relationship between ADHD traits, subjective academic experience and objective university outcomes.

References

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