ADHD symptomatology, fear of intimacy, and sexual anxiety and behavior among college students in China and the United States.

OBJECTIVE

ADHD is marked by an apparent contradiction in social relationships: Those with the disorder have more difficulty establishing close relationships but report increased rates of risky sexual behavior. Two studies examined the relationship between ADHD symptomatology and fear of intimacy, sexual anxiety, and sexual behavior in college students.

METHOD

In the first study, college students in China (n = 300) and the United States (n = 233) completed a series of questionnaires. In the second, 192 American college students completed a follow-up series of measures.

RESULTS

In the first study, those with more ADHD symptoms did not report lower levels of sexual anxiety but did report greater fear of intimacy. In the second, students partially replicated the results of the first study, reporting greater fear of intimacy in those with more symptoms of ADHD. Those with more symptoms also reported lower expectations for the intimacy in their relationships and lower levels of relationship self-competence on one of four domains.

DISCUSSION

ADHD symptomatology, particularly inattention, was related to multiple aspects of risky sexual behavior.