Attention–Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Adolescents and Well-Being at School: The Role of Social Integration

Students with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) tend to experience lower well-being in school and more emotional problems than their peers. This preregistered study investigated whether one explanation for these differences is that students with ADHD tend to be less socially integrated in their class. Further, differences between boys and girls in these relations were examined, as they have previously been found to be stronger for girls. A sample with over 40,000 adolescents from a German large-scale educational study was re-analysed. Multilevel models were calculated to investigate the relations between ADHD, social integration and school-related well-being and emotional problems, as well as the mediating effect through different indicators of social integration and the moderating effect through gender. We found a negative association between ADHD and school-related well-being, which was no longer significant when covariates were controlled for. ADHD and emotional problems were positively associated in controlled models. Results affirm that adolescents with ADHD tend to be less integrated in their class and that less social integration is associated with less school-related well-being and more emotional problems. Some of the observed associations are stronger for girls.