Abstract
Changes were made in DSM-5 to address the criticism that ADHD symptoms in DSM-IV were not developmentally appropriate for adults. Specifically, parenthetical examples were added to symptoms, and the symptom threshold was lowered. ADHD diagnosis in college students in particular is a growing concern. It was hypothesized that changes to the ADHD symptoms across DSM editions would result in higher symptom endorsement rates in this group. To this end, 3877 college students rated their own ADHD symptoms using DSM-IV and DSM-5 symptom wording. College students with a past diagnosis of ADHD (n = 435) endorsed slightly more symptoms with the updated DSM-5 wording (an additional 0.41 ADHD symptoms). In addition, 5.2% more college students met the new, lowered DSM-5 symptom threshold as compared to the older DSM-IV threshold. Changes to DSM-5 Criterion A for ADHD increase symptom endorsement and the number of college students eligible for a diagnosis.
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Notes
When the full sample (N = 3877) was used to test this hypothesis, the results were non-significant.
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Elizabeth K. Lefler declares that she has no conflict of interest. Anne E. Stevens declares that she has no conflict of interest. Anna M. Garner declares that she has no conflict of interest. Judah W. Serrano declares that she has no conflict of interest. Will H. Canu declares that he has no conflict of interest. Cynthia M. Hartung declares that she has no conflict of interest.
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Lefler, E.K., Stevens, A.E., Garner, A.M. et al. Changes in College Student Endorsement of ADHD Symptoms across DSM Edition. J Psychopathol Behav Assess 42, 488–499 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-020-09797-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-020-09797-5