Cultivating Strengths: Extracurricular Activity Participation in Relation to Psychological Wellbeing and Social Functioning in Adolescents with and without ADHD

Extracurricular activities are viewed as important contexts for supporting adolescent wellbeing and functioning. Yet, less is known about how participation relates to wellbeing across adolescence, particularly among youth at heightened risk for social and emotional difficulties, such as those with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Guided by a Positive Youth Development framework, this study examined associations between overall and domain-specific extracurricular participation and psychosocial outcomes in a racially diverse sample of 3,578 adolescents (ages 15–18; M = 15.62), including 588 with ADHD, from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study. Descriptive analyses indicated largely comparable participation frequencies across adolescents with and without ADHD, with modest domain-specific differences. Path models adjusting for demographic covariates indicated that more frequent extracurricular participation was associated with higher wellbeing and greater socially adaptive behavior, unrelated to anxiety symptoms, and was marginally associated with lower depressive symptoms. Domain-specific analyses showed that sports participation was associated with higher wellbeing, socially adaptive behavior, higher anxiety symptoms, and lower depressive symptoms. Volunteering was associated with greater socially adaptive behavior only. Performance participation was associated with lower socially adaptive behavior, and school-based activities with lower wellbeing. Scouting or hobby participation showed mixed associations, including lower wellbeing, socially adaptive behavior, and anxiety, but higher depressive symptoms. Religious participation was unrelated to outcomes. ADHD status rarely moderated associations: however, greater school-based participation was related to lower anxiety among adolescents with ADHD only. Findings suggest extracurricular engagement can support positive functioning, with some structured activities conferring additional emotional benefits for youth with ADHD.