Co-Occurring Social Anxiety and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Symptoms in Emerging Adults: Links with Working Memory and Social Functioning

Adolescents and emerging adults with co-occurring elevations on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and social anxiety symptoms often display poorer social skills and overall social functioning when compared to individuals with elevations on just ADHD or social anxiety symptoms. That is, co-occurring elevations on ADHD and social anxiety appear to have an additive effect, leading to significantly greater social impairment. This additive effect may manifest at the level of social interaction via enhanced working memory (WM) impairment. Individuals with elevations in ADHD typically experience WM deficits, and individuals with social anxiety typically "overspend" attentional resources when actively anxious in a social interaction. The current study aimed to address the WM hypothesis by activating anxiety in participants, then measuring how this impacts WM performance. The following groups were recruited: Control (i.e., subclinical ADHD and social anxiety symptoms), ADHD, Social Anxiety, and ADHD + Social Anxiety. Participants were university students who completed WM assessments before and after a social stress manipulation, along with a self-report measure of social functioning. Groups generally showed improved working memory performance from pre- to post-stress, perhaps reflecting compensatory effort following the stressful experience or practice effects. The ADHD + Social Anxiety group reported significantly poorer social functioning compared to all other groups, replicating previous findings. Results suggest that while WM deficits were not detected in the current study, underlying social difficulties in individuals with co-occurring ADHD and social anxiety symptoms persist. Future research should examine alternative cognitive, emotional, and behavioral pathways that may contribute to the heightened social difficulties experienced by individuals with co-occurring ADHD and social anxiety symptoms.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Alabama Libraries

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Greenberg, Alex Joseph

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Jarrett, Matthew A.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Garrison, Katie E.
• Barth, Joan M.

• ADHD
• Co-occuring
• Social Anxiety
• Social Functioning
• Working Memory

Statement dc:rights

• All rights reserved by the author unless otherwise indicated.

Language dc:language.iso

en_US, English

Dc Identifier Other

1202265

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ir.ua.edu:123456789/17608