Do ADHD Symptoms, Executive Function, and Study Strategies Predict Temporal Reward Discounting in College Students with Varying Levels of ADHD Symptoms? A Pilot Study.

Anouk Scheres,Mary V Solanto

doi:10.3390/brainsci11020181

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between temporal reward discounting and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in college students. Additionally, we examined whether temporal reward discounting was associated with executive functioning in daily life and with learning and study strategies in this group. Thirty-nine college students (19 with ADHD and 20 controls) participated after meeting criteria for ADHD or non-ADHD based on standardized assessment. Strong preferences for small immediate rewards were specifically associated with the ADHD symptom domain hyperactivity–impulsivity. Additionally, these preferences were associated with daily life executive function problems and with weak learning and study strategies. This suggests that steep temporal discounting may be a key mechanism playing a role in the daily life challenges that college students with ADHD symptoms face. If these findings are replicated in larger samples, then intervention strategies may profitably be developed to counteract this strong preference for small immediate rewards in college students with ADHD symptoms.

Highlights

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition that is characterized by symptoms of inattention and/or hyperactivity–impulsivity [1])
In order to establish whether steep Temporal reward discounting (TD) is central to the daily life EF problems experienced by college students with high levels of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, we examined whether TD and daily life EF were associated and hypothesized that daily life EF problems would correlate with steep TD
In order to more accurately measure real preferences, virtual reality may be used in the future to make tasks more realistic and vivid. This pilot study demonstrated that steep temporal discounting is an important construct in relation to symptoms of hyperactivity–impulsivity in college students with ADHD and controls

Summary

Introduction

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition that is characterized by symptoms of inattention and/or hyperactivity–impulsivity [1]). It is viewed as a neurodevelopmental disorder that persists into adulthood in 50–70% of cases [2]. ADHD symptoms are associated with relative weakness in executive functions (EF) such as response inhibition, organizing and planning, and working memory (e.g., [4,5,6]). One sub-group of individuals with ADHD symptoms for whom these deficits in EF may be of particular relevance and are relatively under-studied are college students. 2–8% of college students report symptoms of ADHD that reach clinically relevant levels [8]. College students start living independently, increasing the demand on EF. College students start managing their finances independently, and managing, planning, and organizing their academic tasks independently [12,13,14,15], placing a demand on EF

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