Journal of Boredom Studies

No. 4 (2026)
Articles

Trait and State Boredom in Adults with Elevated ADHD Symptoms: The Roles of ADHD Symptoms and Attention Control

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  • Jenna Santer,
  • Sarah Orban
Jenna Santer
Lehigh University
Sarah Orban
University of Tampa

Published 2026-07-13

Keywords

  • attention deficit hyperactivity disorder,
  • trait boredom,
  • state boredom,
  • attention control,
  • experimental induction

How to Cite

Santer, J., & Orban, S. (2026). Trait and State Boredom in Adults with Elevated ADHD Symptoms: The Roles of ADHD Symptoms and Attention Control. Journal of Boredom Studies, (4). Retrieved from https://www.boredomsociety.com/jbs/index.php/journal/article/view/72

Copyright (c) 2026 Jenna Santer, Sarah Orban

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

Boredom encompasses both stable individual differences and momentary experiences, yet the mechanisms underlying boredom in ADHD remain unclear. The present study examined differences in trait and state boredom between adults with and without elevated ADHD symptoms, as well as the contributions of behavioral ADHD symptoms and performance-based attention control to these outcomes. Ninety-four undergraduate students completed self-report measures of ADHD symptoms, trait boredom (Short Boredom Proneness Scale [SBPS]; Boredom Susceptibility Scale [BSS]), and state boredom, an attention control task, and a laboratory boredom induction involving neutral and boring video conditions. Motor activity during the boredom induction task was measured using actigraphy. Results revealed that participants with elevated ADHD symptoms reported higher levels of trait boredom on both measures and greater overall state boredom. However, group differences in state boredom were fully accounted for by individual differences in trait boredom, and participants with elevated ADHD symptoms did not exhibit larger increases in state boredom during the boredom induction relative to controls. Motor activity increased during the boring condition for all participants, and while individuals with elevated ADHD symptoms showed higher overall motor activity across both videos, they did not demonstrate greater increases in motor activity during the boring video relative to controls. Furthermore, ADHD symptom severity predicted SBPS scores, whereas performance-based attention control predicted BSS scores. Both performance-based attention control and SBPS scores uniquely predicted baseline state boredom. These findings highlight complementary aspects of boredom in ADHD and suggest potential targets for intervention.

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