Jennifer Britney David and Santhosh K Rajan
CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru
Pages:47-54
The study aimed to understand the relationship between undiagnosed ADHD, statetrait anxiety, social self-esteem, and social interaction anxiety among adults, their
gender differences, and whether state-trait anxiety and social self-esteem mediate the
relationship between undiagnosed ADHD and social interaction anxiety. The sample
included 206 adults above 18 years of age. Participants completed an online survey
through Google Forms. Subsequently, t-test, Spearman’s correlation, and mediation
analysis were carried out using JAMOVI to test the hypotheses. Results revealed that
undiagnosed ADHD was found to have a significant positive correlation with state-trait
anxiety and social interaction anxiety, and a significant negative correlation with social
self-esteem. Social self-esteem was found to be a partial mediator in the relationship
between undiagnosed ADHD and social interaction anxiety. Gender differences were
seen only in state anxiety. The findings highlight the strong associations between
undiagnosed ADHD and anxiety and the pivotal role of social self- esteem as a mediator.
It also reaffirms the underdiagnosis and misdiagnosis of adult ADHD, emphasizing its
substantial impact on mental health and daily functioning.