Submission Date

7-19-2024

Document Type

Paper- Restricted to Campus Access

Department

Health & Exercise Physiology

Faculty Mentor

Nicole Ivaska

Comments

Presented during the 26th Annual Summer Fellows Symposium, July 19, 2024 at Ursinus College.

This research was supported by IRB approval NI-HEP-Attention Study-0424

Project Description

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder defined by symptoms of inattention, disorganization, or hyperactivity-impulsivity according to the DSM V diagnostic code. Conceptualizing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) requires consideration of age and gender through comparison of emotional regulation to a standard population. For this reason, there is an emerging interest in ADHD research among college student response to academic, athletic, environmental, and psycho-social pressures of college life throughout the COVID pandemic. This research study explored associations between quality of life, self-reported anxiety using the GAD-7, self-reported ADHD tendencies using the ASRSv1.1, and results from the Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA). We assessed subject heart rate throughout the TOVA to determine associations in timing of physiological anxiety, which may represent underlying masking behavior. Participation was limited to Ursinus students between the ages of 18-23. We found a marginally significant difference of TOVA scores between gender, χ(1) = 5.638, p = .060. That is, more women had TOVA scores not within normal limits that otherwise indicated ADHD tendencies. We found repeated correlation of gender, self-reported anxiety, TOVA scores, and ADHD tendencies with a self-reported decrease in appetite. Specifically, there was a marginally significant difference of behavioral diet changes (decreased appetite) when experience times of stress among women compared to men, χ(1) = 4.970, p = .083. Additionally, participants who self-reported increased anxiety, scored not within normal limits on the TOVA, or who had a positive screening for ADHD tendencies, also reported a statistically significant decrease in appetite, χ(1) = 14.154, p = .028; χ(1) = 15.251, p = .004; χ(1) = 20.562, p = .002, respectively. We found a statistically significant increase in heart rate during the TOVA from 65bpm ± 10bpm to 94bpm ± 14bpm (p < 0.001); an increase of 29bpm. Our results also indicate that TOVA Q2 heart rate statistically significantly predicts Q2 response time variability, F(1, 21) = 5.347, p = .031. The findings of this study will help provide insight into autonomic nervous system activity compared to college student task concentration and emotional valence.

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