I Have Time to Do It Later: Avoidant Automatic Thoughts and Task Avoidance in College Students with ADHD

ADHD in adults is associated with impairing procrastination and task avoidance. Prior studies using ecological momentary assessment (EMA; Knouse, Ziegler, et al., 2023; Knouse et al., 2025) found that avoidant automatic thoughts (AAT), spontaneously arising thoughts about delaying the starting or ending of an activity, were associated with task avoidance and inattention in the moment. In these studies, people with more severe self-reported ADHD symptoms also experienced more frequent AAT. We replicated and extended these prior studies in a sample of college students diagnosed with ADHD compared to those not diagnosed. 97 undergraduate students (45 diagnosed with ADHD and 52 with no ADHD diagnosis) completed baseline measures and 6 days of EMA up to 5 times per day. The median participant reported AAT at 41% of sampled moments and participants with ADHD reported a higher frequency of AAT compared to those not diagnosed (62% vs. 35% of moments, p < .001). AAT in the moment predicted more intense inattention and task avoidance; however, ADHD did not strengthen these associations. Nonetheless, the more frequent experience of AAT for people with ADHD may be one mechanism leading to more frequent problematic avoidance and a potential target for cognitive-behavioral intervention.