Top problems of adolescents and young adults with ADHD during the COVID-19 pandemic

• DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.02.009
• Publication Date: 2021-02-15T05:49:40Z
• Authors: Margaret H. Sibley; Mercedes Ortiz; Larissa M. Gaias; Rosemary Reyes; Mahima Joshi; Dana Alexander; Paulo Graziano
• Keywords: Male; Motivation; Adolescent; Depression; 05 social sciences; COVID-19; Article; 3. Good health; Psychiatry and Mental health; Young Adult; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; Boredom; Humans; Female; 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences; Longitudinal Studies; Prospective Studies; Self Report; 10. No inequality; Pandemics; Biological Psychiatry

ADHD symptom severity appears to be exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study surveyed top problems experienced by adolescents and young adults (A/YAs) with ADHD during the COVID-19 pandemic to identify possible reasons for symptom escalation and potential targets for intervention. We also explored perceived benefits of the pandemic for A/YAs with ADHD.At the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic (April-June 2020), we administered self and parent ratings about current and pre-pandemic top problem severity and benefits of the pandemic to a sample of convenience (N = 134 A/YAs with ADHD participating in a prospective longitudinal study).The most common top problems reported in the sample were social isolation (parent-report: 26.7%; self-report: 41.5%), difficulties engaging in online learning (parent-report: 23.3%, self-report: 20.3%), motivation problems (parent-report: 27.9%), and boredom (self-report: 21.3%). According to parent (d = 0.98) and self-report (d = 1.33), these top problems were more severe during the pandemic than in prior months. Contrary to previous speculation, there was no evidence that pandemic-related changes mitigated ADHD severity. Multi-level models indicated that A/YAs with higher IQs experienced severer top problems exacerbations at the transition to the COVID-19 pandemic.For A/YAs with ADHD, several risk factors for depression and school dropout were incurred during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. A/YAs with ADHD should be monitored for school disengagement and depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recommended interventions attend to reducing risk factors such as increasing social interaction, academic motivation, and behavioral activation among A/YAs with ADHD.