title: Students admitted to university who fail: hidden disabilities affecting students' performance.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare grade point averages and social adjustment and academic difficulties of students with or without a hidden disability at The University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica.
  
  
  METHODS
  Comparison groups were identified through The University of the West Indies (UWI) Health Centre, peer-counselling training programme and an undergraduate class. The 165 participants completed a checklist on health, social and academic concerns and provided a copy of their transcripts. Students were screened for hidden disabilities including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and psychiatric morbidity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Students with hidden disabilities consistently performed poorer academically than their non-disabled peers, and students with ADHD performed the worst. The high levels of distress common to students with a hidden disability may explain the difference in performance between them and non-disabled students. Students'ability to manage their time, irrespective of having a disability, was singled out as important for obtaining good grades.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Potentially brilliant students are at risk of failing out of university because of hidden disabilities and the associated emotional and social challenges.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Child Health, The University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston 7. pottsie@cwjamaica.com
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Pottinger
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: La Hee
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Asmus
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders; D008875:Middle Aged; D012917:Social Adjustment; D013334:Students; D055815:Young Adult