Inclusion in community services and PTSD symptoms among adolescents with attention-deficit disorders (ADHD) and learning disabilities (LD)

The inclusion challenge of students with special educational needs does not end in the classroom. Mandatory community services in Israel may present unique challenges and supportive demands from their teachers. The goals of this study were to examine the risks experienced by youth with ADHD who joined rescue workers such as ambulance teams. The predicting role of ADHD as risk factors for developing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms was investigated as well as the mediating factors of learning difficulties, self-efficacy and social support. The study consisted of 451 high-school students (ages 16–18) who joined ambulance teams as part of their mandatory high-school community services. Their levels of PTSD symptoms, ADHD, LD, Self-efficacy and social support were examined. Following preliminary analysis, a serial mediation model was examined. Initially, the predicting effect of ADHD symptoms on the PTSD symptoms was significant. However, the model demonstrated that the LD, self-efficacy and social support fully mediated the relationship between ADHD and PTSD symptoms. The inclusion of students in these community services requests awareness to risks and their needs. ADHD and LD symptoms may present additional risk factors. But self-efficacy and social support can reduce this risk, emphasising the importance of school climate, teachers’ training and educational planning to promote successful inclusion.