The Role of Executive Functioning and Emotional Processing in Adjustment to College for Students with Symptoms of ADHD

The current study investigated the roles of executive functions and emotion processing in college adjustment among students with ADHD symptoms enrolled in the Support for Students with ADHD or ADHD-like Experiences (SHIELD) Program at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC), an intervention program designed to support students with executive dysfunction Using the Perception-Valuation-Action cycle (PVA) as a theoretical framework, the study examined whether changes in executive functions (inhibition, working memory, shifting) and emotion processing (emotional awareness, emotional clarity, cognitive reappraisal) across a semester were associated with academic, social, and psychological adjustment, as well as with ADHD symptoms. At baseline, students endorsed clinically significant ADHD symptoms and executive dysfunction, with lower psychological adjustment compared to non-ADHD college samples. While no statistically significant changes occurred from pre- to post-semester, students showed small improvements across all adjustment domains. Unexpectedly, decreased inhibitory control was associated with better academic and psychological adjustment, challenging traditional deficit-focused models of ADHD. Increases in emotional awareness and cognitive reappraisal were significantly associated with better social adjustment, while emotion processing abilities showed stronger associations with hyperactive and impulsive symptoms than executive functions. These findings provide preliminary evidence for the SHIELD program's efficacy while suggesting that reduced inhibition may serve adaptive functions in college environments and highlighting the importance of emotion processing abilities for adjustment.