title: ADHD symptomatology and risky health, driving, and financial behaviors in college: the mediating role of sensation seeking and effortful control.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the extent to which effortful control (EC) and sensation seeking (SS) tendencies explain the association between the severity of ADHD symptoms and risky behaviors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants included 555 college students (66% females) who completed self-report measures assessing their ADHD symptoms, EC abilities, SS tendencies, and risky health (e.g., substance use) and driving/financial behaviors (e.g., misuse of credit cards).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Severity of college students' ADHD symptoms, EC abilities, and SS tendencies were related to all risky behaviors. Multiple mediational analyses further indicated that students' SS tendencies significantly mediated the association between ADHD symptoms and the risky health factor but not the risky driving/financial factor. EC, however, significantly mediated the association between ADHD symptoms and both the risky health and driving/financial factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The current study provides initial data showing potentially different mechanisms that explain the link between college students' severity of ADHD symptoms and risky behaviors.
authors.affiliation: Florida International University, Miami, USA pgrazian@fiu.edu.
authors.forename: Paulo A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Graziano
authors.affiliation: University of Florida, Gainesville, USA.
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reid
authors.affiliation: University of Maine, Orono, USA.
authors.forename: Janine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Slavec
authors.affiliation: University of Florida, Gainesville, USA.
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Paneto
authors.affiliation: University of Florida, Gainesville, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: McNamara
authors.affiliation: University of Florida, Gainesville, USA.
authors.forename: Gary R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Geffken
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000523:psychology*; D005106:Exploratory Behavior; D005260:Female; D005376:Financial Management; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D057566:Self Report; D012677:Sensation; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: ADHD; college students; effortful control; risky driving; risky financial behaviors; risky sexual activity; sensation seeking; substance use