This study asked whether trouble with executive function helps explain why employees with ADHD symptoms report more job burnout. Executive function covers skills such as managing time, getting organized and solving problems.
The researchers studied 171 employees recruited through an online research platform called Prolific Academic. Their average age was 26.45, and about 60% were female. A screening questionnaire, the ASRS-5 with a cutoff score of 14, sorted them into two groups. Of the 171, 38 screened positive for ADHD and 133 did not. The study observed these employees rather than testing any treatment.
Employees who screened positive reported much higher job burnout than the others. The gap was large. They also reported more executive function problems, and that gap was large as well.
The researchers then tested whether executive function problems sat between ADHD and burnout. They found that these problems carried a large part of the link. Some of the link remained even after accounting for them. Two areas stood out as the strongest pieces: managing time, and organizing and solving problems.
The authors note several limits. Every measure was a self-report, which can make measures look more closely linked than they are. The sample was modest, so the results may not apply to wider groups. The study also did not account for other conditions linked to ADHD, such as anxiety and depression. The authors call for larger and longer studies that also draw on reports from supervisors and colleagues.
The numbers Stats and what the terms mean
The statistics behind the plain-language claims above.
- Turjeman-Levi, 2024: difference in job burnout between employees who screened positive for ADHD and those who did not, t (62) = 6.34, 95% CI [0.73, 1.51], d = 1.13 (ADHD M = 5.05, SD = 1.05; without ADHD M = 3.76, SD = 1.17).
- Turjeman-Levi, 2024: difference in overall executive function problems between the two groups, t (62) = 7.51, 95% CI [0.94, 1.73], d = 1.34 (ADHD M = 2.65, SD = 0.50 vs non-ADHD M = 1.92, SD = 0.55).
- Turjeman-Levi, 2024: part of the ADHD and burnout link carried through executive function problems, indirect effect b = 0.83, SE = 0.16, 95% CI [0.55, 1.16].
- Turjeman-Levi, 2024: part of the ADHD and burnout link that remained after accounting for executive function problems, direct effect b = 0.49, SE = 0.22, 95% CI [0.07, 0.92].
- Turjeman-Levi, 2024: total link carried through the specific executive function areas, b = 0.87, SE = 0.18, 95% CI [0.55, 1.26].
- Turjeman-Levi, 2024: link carried through managing time, b = 0.33, SE = 0.16, 95% CI [0.03, 0.66].
- Turjeman-Levi, 2024: link carried through organizing and solving problems, b = 0.32, SE = 0.12, 95% CI [0.12, 0.58].
What the terms mean:
- t A test score for whether two group averages differ by more than chance would explain; the number in brackets relates to the sample size used.
- 95% CI The range where the true value most likely falls; a range that does not cross zero suggests the result is unlikely to be down to chance.
- d A standard measure of how big a difference between two groups is. Roughly, 0.2 is small, 0.5 is moderate and 0.8 is large. A minus sign shows the direction of the change, not its size.
- M The average score for a group.
- SD How spread out the scores were around the average.
- b How much of the link between ADHD and burnout runs along a given path; larger numbers mean a bigger share.
- SE How much uncertainty there is around the estimate; smaller is more precise.
Source: Turjeman-Levi Y, Itzchakov G, Engel-Yeger B. Executive function deficits mediate the relationship between employees' ADHD and job burnout. AIMS Public Health (2024). doi:10.3934/publichealth.2024015