ADHD Symptoms and Academic Performance Among Adolescents: The Roles of Executive Dysfunction, Smartphone Distraction, and Academic Procrastination
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61838/Keywords:
ADHD symptoms, academic performance, executive dysfunction, smartphone distraction, academic procrastination, adolescents, ColombiaAbstract
Objective: This study aimed to examine the direct and indirect relationships between ADHD symptoms and academic performance among Colombian adolescents by testing the roles of executive dysfunction, smartphone distraction, and academic procrastination within an integrated structural model.
Methods and Materials: A cross-sectional correlational study was conducted with 612 adolescents aged 12–18 years who were recruited from public and private secondary schools in Bogotá, Medellín, and Cali, Colombia, through multistage stratified cluster sampling. ADHD symptoms were assessed using the School Version of the ADHD Rating Scale–5, executive dysfunction using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function–Second Edition Self-Report Form, smartphone distraction using the Smartphone Distraction Scale, and academic procrastination using the Multidimensional Academic Procrastination Scale–15. Academic performance was obtained from official school records and standardized within school and grade level. Data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis, Pearson correlations, and structural equation modeling with cluster-robust standard errors. Indirect effects were examined using 5,000 bias-corrected bootstrap samples.
Findings: ADHD symptoms significantly predicted executive dysfunction, smartphone distraction, academic procrastination, and lower academic performance. Executive dysfunction significantly predicted greater smartphone distraction, greater academic procrastination, and poorer academic performance. Smartphone distraction significantly predicted procrastination and lower academic performance, while academic procrastination was the strongest immediate negative predictor of performance. The total indirect effect of ADHD symptoms on academic performance was significant, β = -.272, p < .001, and the total effect was β = -.402, p < .001. The model explained 39% of the variance in academic performance.
Conclusion: ADHD symptoms were associated with poorer academic performance primarily through executive dysfunction, smartphone distraction, and academic procrastination, indicating that cognitive self-regulation, digital-attention management, and timely task initiation are important targets for school-based and clinical interventions.
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References
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