This study looked at how college students with ADHD experience everyday activities. Researchers interviewed 20 students with ADHD at four colleges in Israel. They were picked from a larger group of 40 interviewed students. All had been diagnosed by a neurologist or psychiatrist. They were 20 to 32 years old. Most were working (17 of 20), and most took ADHD medication (15 of 20). The paper gives two different counts of women and men.
The students described six themes. They ate too little or too much. They did not sleep enough to "recharge batteries." They felt strong mixed feelings about medication. Studying felt too hard and took too much effort. Leisure was something they wanted but did not have. Work stood out. They needed it and loved it.
Some things got in the way. These included the demands of the activities, traits linked to ADHD, and personal beliefs, such as treating sleep and leisure as low priorities. Other things helped. These included self-awareness, executive strategies, routines that worked for them and a supportive social setting.
The authors concluded that these students faced ongoing daily struggles. All the students came from Israeli colleges, so the results may not apply to other students. Their socioeconomic background was not recorded. The authors suggest these helping and hindering factors could lay the groundwork for occupational therapy programs for college students with ADHD.
Source: Goffer A, Cohen M, Maeir A. Occupational experiences of college students with ADHD: A qualitative study. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy (2020). doi:10.1080/11038128.2020.1856182