Change in Depression Symptoms from High School to post-High School

Previous research has suggested that attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has the potential to negatively affect individuals throughout their lifetimes, particularly during important life transitions. Prior research, however, has been inconclusive as to whether or not ADHD impacts one’s transition from high school to after high school. To contribute to the topic, we analyzed data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), which periodically collected data from a representative sample of adolescents between 1994 and 2018 (Harris et al., 2019). This study reports on data from Wave II when participants were in high school and Wave III following participants’ completion of high school. We analyzed the change in depression symptom scores of students between Waves II and III. Using multiple linear regression, we compared the mean change in depression symptom scores according to ADHD diagnosis, college attendance, and gender, as all three factors seem to affect depression (Riglin et al., 2021; Heckhausen, 2013, Gestsdottir et al., 2015). Statistical analysis showed that attending college was significantly linked to a decrease in the severity of depression symptoms, but not whether one was diagnosed with ADHD. We also found that women and girls with and without ADHD were more likely to experience an increase in depression symptoms from high school to post-high school when compared to men and boys. More research is necessary to clarify the role of college attendance in improving the wellbeing of young adults and to explain why women struggle more with the transition between adolescence and young adulthood.