A study looked at whether trouble with everyday self-management helps explain the link between ADHD and job burnout. It included 171 working adults recruited online (mean age about 26, roughly 60% women). A short ADHD screening tool sorted them into two groups: 38 screened positive for ADHD and 133 did not. This was a screening, not a clinical diagnosis.
Employees who screened positive reported more job burnout than the others, and the gap was large (d = 1.13). They also reported more trouble with executive function, meaning skills like managing time and organizing tasks. That gap was large too (d = 1.34).
The researchers then tested whether executive function problems sat between ADHD and burnout. They did. Most of the link ran through these difficulties (indirect effect b = 0.83), and a smaller part stayed direct (b = 0.49). Two skills stood out as the strongest go-betweens: managing time (b = 0.33) and organizing and solving problems (b = 0.32).
The authors note several limits. Everyone answered self-report surveys, which can inflate such links. The sample was small. ADHD was based on a screen, not a diagnosis. And because everything was measured at one point in time, the study cannot show what causes what, and it did not account for anxiety or depression.
Source: Turjeman-Levi Y, Itzchakov G, Engel-Yeger B. Executive function deficits mediate the relationship between employees' ADHD and job burnout. AIMS Public Health (2024). doi:10.3934/publichealth.2024015