ERIC Number: EJ1493022
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2026-Jan
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1087-0547
EISSN: EISSN-1557-1246
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Why Are Individuals with ADHD More Prone to Boredom? Examining Attention Control and Working Memory as Mediators of Boredom in Young Adults with ADHD Traits
Sarah A. Orban1; Jennifer S. Blessing1; Madelyn K. Sandone2; Benjamin Conness1; Jenna Santer3
Journal of Attention Disorders, v30 n1 p8-22 2026
Objective: Proneness to boredom has been reported in ADHD populations; however, no study to date has examined potential mediators of ADHD-related boredom. The current study investigated whether individuals with ADHD traits exhibit higher levels of boredom propensity relative to their peers without ADHD traits and explore if attention control and working memory mediate the relationship between ADHD and proneness to boredom. Method: Young adults (M[subscript age]=19.1, SD=1.3) with (n=31) and without (n=57) ADHD traits completed self-report measures (i.e., boredom proneness, current ADHD symptoms, and childhood indicators of ADHD) and six counterbalanced performance-based cognitive measures (i.e., three attention control and three working memory tasks). Results: Young adults with ADHD traits exhibited large magnitude effect size differences in proneness to boredom relative to their peers without ADHD traits (d=2.09). In addition, proneness to boredom and ADHD trait group status were related to worse performance on attention control and working memory factors. Both attention control and working memory factors partially mediated the relation between ADHD and boredom, accounting for 5.8% and 6.4% of the variance in ADHD-related boredom, respectively. Conclusion: Executive attention processes related to difficulty controlling attention and using working memory may provide a partial explanation for why individuals with ADHD traits experience boredom.
Descriptors: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Psychological Patterns, Short Term Memory, Young Adults, Attention Control, Undergraduate Students
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1University of Tampa, Tampa, FL, USA; 2Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA; 3Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA

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