Date Submitted
6-10-2025
Faculty Advisor
Sarah Getch
Abstract
Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects up to 5% of children worldwide. The deficits characteristic of this disorder often result in significant functional impairment to academic, occupational, and social domains that start in early childhood and often persist into adulthood. Experiencing these difficulties from an early age often results in the development of poor self-efficacy for these individuals, further compounding deficits to functioning. While many individuals with ADHD struggle with social functioning, research has also found that individuals who report having better social skills, also reported having better self-efficacy. It has yet to be established if this relationship contributes to better functional outcomes in individuals with ADHD. The purpose of this study is to explore the cross section social skills, self-efficacy, and academic performance in university students with ADHD. It was hypothesized that social skills are positively associated with academic functioning. It was also hypothesized that the relationship between social skills and academic functioning will be mediated by self-efficacy. This was explored by posting an anonymous Formester survey on relevant reddit forums that contained a demographic survey, the generalized self-efficacy scale, and the social skills inventory. There were 69 respondents who met criteria for inclusion. It was found that social skills were significantly correlated with grade point average. However, self-efficacy was not found to act as a mediator for this relationship. While more work will be needed to explore the intersection of these variables, this finding holds implications regarding the role of social skills in academic outcomes and self-beliefs for individuals with ADHD and could inform the development of novel interventions aimed at improving functional outcomes for these individuals.
