The UTC Graduate School is pleased to announce that Nicolas Maynard will present Master's research titled, College Students’ Strategies for Malingering Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder on 06/26/2024 at 12:00 PM in 540 McCallie Ave Room 394. Everyone is invited to attend. 

Psychology

Chair: Dr. Amanda Clark

Co-Chair: 

Abstract:

This study assessed college students’ knowledge and perceptions of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to help identify patterns of behavior in those who malinger (fake) ADHD in a college environment. Specifically, I sought to determine what typical behaviors college students attribute to ADHD and how those behaviors are demonstrated when malingering the disorder. Participants in this study were neurotypical college students and those with a valid ADHD diagnosis. Half of the neurotypical participants were instructed to malinger ADHD on all study assessments. Participants who were instructed to malinger ADHD subjectively reported significantly more symptoms than their neurotypical and valid ADHD counterparts. They also responded more quickly and with a different pattern of errors on the objective assessments. The findings from this study can inform future research regarding specific assessments that will capture discrepancies between individuals who malinger ADHD and legitimate cases.