Feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of a new cognitive-behavioral intervention for college students with ADHD

Objective: This purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of a new group cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) to enhance executive function (EF) in college students with ADHD. Methods: Eighteen students meeting rigorous DSM-5 criteria for ADHD were enrolled in two nine-member groups. The treatment targeted time-awareness, distractibility, procrastination, and failure to plan, and included strategies to facilitate academic EF skills. Results: Eighty-four percent of students attended nine or more of the 12 weekly sessions. Repeated measures analyses of change from pre- to posttreatment yielded improvement in clinician- and self-ratings of DSM-5 ADHD inattentive symptoms, with robust effect sizes. Also improved were scores on standardized scales of time-management, concentration, and total EF. Discussion: Results provide support for the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of a CBT program in reducing inattentive symptoms and enhancing EF in college students with ADHD, and warrant investigation on a larger scale