Research Recap with Skye: Subclinical ADHD and the Entrepreneurial Path

Welcome to Hacking Your ADHD. I’m your host, William Curb, and I have ADHD. On this podcast, I dig into the tools, tactics, and best practices to help you work with your ADHD brain.

Today, I’m joined by Skye Waterson for our research recap series. In this series, we take a single research paper and dive into what it says, how it was conducted, and any practical takeaways. In this episode, we’re discussing a paper titled "The Effects of Subclinical ADHD Symptomatology on Subjective Financial, Physical, and Mental Wellbeing of Entrepreneurs and Employees." Essentially, this study looks at how ADHD traits—even if they aren't at a diagnosable level—relate to wellbeing for two groups: entrepreneurs and employees.

If you'd life to follow along on the show notes page you can find that at https://HackingYourADHD.com/263

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William Curb: Welcome to Hacking Your ADHD. I’m your host, William Curb, and I have ADHD. On this podcast, I dig into the tools, tactics, and best practices to help you work with your ADHD brain.

Today, I’m joined by Skye Waterson for our research recap series. In this series, we take a single research paper and dive into what it says, how it was conducted, and any practical takeaways. In this episode, we’re discussing a paper titled "The Effects of Subclinical ADHD Symptomatology on Subjective Financial, Physical, and Mental Wellbeing of Entrepreneurs and Employees." Essentially, this study looks at how ADHD traits—even if they aren't at a diagnosable level—relate to wellbeing for two groups: entrepreneurs and employees. It asks: Does having ADHD traits help or hurt you when you're your own boss versus when you're working for someone else? To start, I think it’s important to discuss what subclinical ADHD actually is, because I’m sure a lot of people aren't familiar with the term.

Skye Waterson: Yeah, and this paper actually came about because we were looking for research on subclinical ADHD specifically. It’s a conversation that’s gaining more traction now: What if you don’t meet the full clinical criteria for ADHD, but you still have the symptoms? It’s a relatively new concept because we’ve only recently started talking openly about ADHD in general.

William Curb: It’s especially important regarding self-diagnosis. When we look at the diagnostic criteria, there’s a hard line. For example, if you need five out of seven symptoms to be diagnosed, but you only have four, a clinician might say they can't diagnose you. That’s where "subclinical" comes in—you have the symptoms, but not at a level that meets the current clinical threshold.

Skye Waterson: Exactly. It’s interesting that this comes up in a paper about entrepreneurship. I work almost exclusively with entrepreneurs who have ADHD symptoms. Many of them come to me saying, "I haven’t been diagnosed, and I don't know if I ever will be, but I definitely resonate with the symptoms." Seeing a paper tackle this in an academic context made me realize it’s not just me—this is a real trend in the research.

William Curb: It reminds me of a paper we reviewed recently which found that even kids who were diagnosed but didn't keep the diagnosis into adulthood still had different life outcomes. So, even without a formal label, if you have the symptomatology, it still affects you.

Skye Waterson: Which is a bit brutal, honestly. It makes me glad I "crossed the line" for a diagnosis, because it would be so frustrating to have the same struggles without the recognition or access to support.

William Curb: I’ve mentioned on the podcast that I have a subclinical autism diagnosis. It makes it hard to talk about because people ask, "Does that mean you don’t have it?" And I’m like, "Yes, but also... yes."

Skye Waterson: I’ve taken those tests too! I’m not a math or systems person, so when the questions ask if you like certain patterns, I’m like, "Well, kind of?"

William Curb: Right? On those assessments, you want to explain yourself. Apparently, that’s part of the point—the interaction and how you expand on your answers helps the clinician understand you better.

Skye Waterson: Well, I have ADHD, so there’s no way I’m not going to expand on things! But we’re getting away from the paper. Let's look at the methodology.

The Methodology

Skye Waterson: They looked at the "demands-abilities fit," which is basically how well your individual abilities match the demands of your work environment. The idea is that if they match, you're happier. They also looked at the "needs-supplies fit," which we’ll get into.

They used a sample of 190 entrepreneurs and 186 employees in Hungary, ranging from ages 18 to 65. To measure ADHD, they used a 12-item questionnaire asking about things like restlessness and difficulty with quiet leisure activities. They also measured "subjective" wellbeing—how people felt about their income, their anxiety levels, and their life satisfaction.

William Curb: That "subjective" distinction is important. It doesn’t matter if you have a high income or eight hours of sleep if you feel like you’re struggling.

Skye Waterson: Exactly. So, what did they actually find?

The Findings

William Curb: They found that ADHD traits negatively affected almost everything: worse physical health, lower happiness, worse financial wellbeing, and higher anxiety.

Skye Waterson: It sounds brutal. But the reason I wanted to discuss this is to fight the idea that ADHD people are destined for worse outcomes. I’ve seen that well-managed ADHD in the right environment—like entrepreneurship—can have great results. But if you put someone in an environment that isn't built for them and don't give them tools, the "demands-fit" isn't going to work.

William Curb: They did find that entrepreneurs were hit harder by "income perception," which makes sense. If you run the business, you’re much more aware that if things fail, it’s on you.

Skye Waterson: You’re also often comparing yourself to other high-achieving entrepreneurs. Interestingly, they also found that higher ADHD symptoms might fit entrepreneurship better than traditional employment on the "needs-supplies" dimension.

William Curb: Right—that’s how well the job provides what you mentally need, like autonomy, novelty, and stimulation. Entrepreneurship gives you those in spades. Of course, you still have to do taxes and admin, which have no novelty and way too much "boring" stimulation.

Skye Waterson: That’s why my advice for ADHD entrepreneurs is different. I tell them to hire an assistant as soon as possible, whereas traditional advice is often to wait. If you have ADHD, those admin tasks are a much bigger drain.

William Curb: This paper feels like a first step: "We are seeing these worse outcomes; now let's explore why."

Final Takeaways

Skye Waterson: Most research papers are negative, which can be tough to read. You have to look for the clues within them. For example, if life satisfaction is "buffered" by entrepreneurship because of autonomy and novelty, how can we apply those same benefits to an employee?

William Curb: As an entrepreneur, I've felt that financial pressure and the lack of boundaries. If you don't set boundaries, you'll be answering emails at 11:30 PM. Now, I don't even check. I’m never happy when I check my email after hours.

Skye Waterson: And since this paper is about subclinical ADHD, these are the people least likely to be using management strategies because they don't think they "qualify" for help.

William Curb: That’s the thing—it doesn’t matter if you have a formal diagnosis. If a strategy helps your brain work better, use it.

Skye Waterson: Exactly. This paper is an invitation to do things differently. Don't close yourself off from support just because you didn't hit a specific clinical threshold. If you have the symptoms, you deserve the systems.