ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Mental Health and Wellbeing in Education
Volume 10 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2025.1527419
This article is part of the Research TopicAdvances in Social Determinants of Health for College Students with ADHDView all articles
ADHD symptoms and psychosocial challenges: A North-West University case study
Provisionally accepted
- Faculty of Health Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a neurodevelopmental psychological disorder, presents challenges for individuals in a variety of contexts, including the higher education environment. ADHD is characterised by symptoms such as inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsive behaviours that are not suitable for an individual's age. The impact of ADHD, especially on university students, is still not fully comprehended. Consequently, this study sought to elucidate the psychosocial hurdles that students living with ADHD symptoms confront at North-West University. An exploratory case study design using a qualitative research approach was deployed, with 12 participants selected via purposive sampling and recruited through digital advertisements distributed on NWU's student Facebook pages. The data collection process involved online semi-structured interviews, subsequently subject to thematic analysis. The results revealed that anxiety, depression, isolation and withdrawal, and issues with extended lecture duration are pervasive experiences for these students. The study underlines the necessity of policy amendments and practical adaptations within higher education institutions, like the North-West University, to better accommodate students with ADHD symptoms. These include, but are not limited to, restructuring lecture schedules for shorter duration and regular breaks, and building a more comprehensive ADHD educational resource network within the university. However, it is important to note that this study had limitations including a small sample size, a cross-sectional nature that limited the temporal scope of understanding, and reliance on self-reported data. Future research is encouraged to address these limitations to further illuminate the experiences of university students with ADHD symptoms.
Keywords: ADHD, case study, psychosocial well-being, Students, Symptoms
Received: 13 Nov 2024; Accepted: 05 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Mpetha, Mapaling and Matlakala. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Frans Koketso Matlakala, Faculty of Health Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
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