First Name:
Anna
Last Name:
Womack
Major Department:
Psychology
Thesis Director:
Will Canu
Date of Thesis:
May 2011
Previous studies have shown that individuals with ADHD experience higher levels of stress than their non-diagnosed counterparts. (Hirvikoski, Lindhol, Nordenstrom, Nordstrom, &Lajic, 2009). It has also been shown that high levels of self-esteem can act as a buffer against stress (Canu & Carlson, 2007). Previous studies have found that social support also has buffering effects on stress (Brissette, Scheire, & Carver, 2002). The current study aimed to find the relationship between varying levels of ADHD symptoms and stress in college students and to determine whether social support or positive self-esteem might moderate ADHD-related effects. Results indicated a positive relationship between stress and ADHD symptomatology. Self-esteem was found to have a negative relationship with stress. However, there was no relationship between stress and social support, and ADHD x self esteem and ADHD x support interactions were also non-significant as stress predictors. Implications of these findings will be discussed further in the discussion section.