Prevalence of working adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder impairment during the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for the future

Alice Vo  Edwards; Gavin  MacDonald; William  Abraczinskas

doi:10.59400/apr1442

Prevalence of working adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder impairment during the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for the future

Alice Vo Edwards Independent Researcher & Teacher at Rancho High School, Clark County School District, Las Vegas, 89101 Nevada, United States of America
Gavin MacDonald Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), 10490-72 Street SE Calgary, Alberta T2C 5P6, Canada
William Abraczinskas Las Vegas, Nevada 89101, USA

Article ID: 1442

DOI: https://doi.org/10.59400/apr1442

Keywords: ADHD; remote work

Abstract

In this study; we analyzed the relationship between U.S. workers’ reported levels of ADHD symptomatology and the impact of pandemic conditions on symptomatic impairment and the estimated prevalence of Adult ADHD. We compared data from the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale Screener (ASRS) collected during the pandemic with data from two pre-pandemic studies. Our findings indicate that during the pandemic; mean impairment scores on all six ASRS items increased; leading to a predicted rise in the Adult ADHD diagnosis rate to 9.26%; compared to the pre-pandemic estimate of 4.4%. These results suggest that more adults experienced significant ADHD-related challenges during the pandemic. As organizations continue to implement remote work and other pandemic-related changes; it is important to consider the unique difficulties that neurodiverse workers; particularly those with ADHD; may face in adapting to these new work environments.

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Published

2025-01-22

How to Cite

Edwards, A. V., MacDonald, G., & Abraczinskas, W. (2025). Prevalence of working adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder impairment during the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for the future. Applied Psychology Research, 4(1), 1442. https://doi.org/10.59400/apr1442

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