A - 46 Gender Differences In ImPACT Two-Factor Composite Scores of Athletes With Self-reported Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Abstract Purpose Compare baseline ImPACT two-factor composite scores of high school athletes with self-reported ADHD and neurotypical controls and assess whether athlete gender mediates performance differences. Method A sample of 552 high school athletes (250 male, 300 female) who completed ImPACT Baseline Testing in 2024 was analyzed. ImPACT Two Factor Memory (TFM) and Two Factor Speed (TFS) composite scores of participants with and without self-reported ADHD (n = 56, 28 male, 28 female) were compared. The role of gender in ImPACT performance was also assessed among those with self-reported ADHD. Data was analyzed using bivariate correlations and two-way ANOVAs of both composite scores and the fixed factors gender and self-reported ADHD. Results Data reflected a negative correlation between self-reported ADHD and both ImPACT two-factor composite scores (TFM ρ: −0.177, p < 0.01; TFS ρ: −0.145, p < 0.01), and a positive correlation between gender and both ImPACT Two-Factor Composite scores (TFM ρ: 0.120, p < 0.01; TFS ρ: 0.206, p < 0.01). Two-way ANOVAs showed significant main effects of gender and self-reported ADHD on TFM (F(1) = 7.969, p = 0.005; F(1) = 18.679, p = 0.005, respectively) and TFS (F(1) = 38.178, p < 0.001; F(1) = 13.382, p < 0.001, respectively). An interaction between gender and self-reported ADHD was found in TFS only (F = 14.647, p < 0.001). Conclusions The present study posits differences in ImPACT Two-Factor Composite scores between student-athletes with and without self-reported ADHD. Gender may mediate performance on Two-Factor Speed scores but not Two-Factor Memory scores.