Adult outcomes associated with ADHD in girls

January 01, 0001

Adult outcomes associated with ADHD in girls

These US authors conducted a longitudinal case-control study of 6- to 18-year-old girls with (N=140) and without (N=122) attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) ascertained from psychiatric and pediatric sources. At the 11-year follow-up, 96 (69%) of the girls with ADHD and 91 (75%) of the comparison girls were reassessed (mean age=22 years). Participants were blindly assessed by structured diagnostic interviews.

They found: "Lifetime and 1-year risks for all composite categories of psychopathology were significantly greater in girls with ADHD grown up relative to comparison girls; lifetime hazard ratios were 7.2 for antisocial disorders, 6.8 for mood disorders, 2.1 for anxiety disorders, 3.2 for developmental disorders, 2.7 for addictive disorders, and 3.5 for eating disorders. For lifetime psychopathology, all six composite categories remained statistically significant after controlling for other baseline psychopathology. Except for addictive disorders, significant 1-year findings remained significant after controlling for baseline psychopathology. The 1- year prevalences of composite disorders were not associated with lifetime or 1- year use of ADHD medication."

The authors concluded: "By young adulthood, girls with ADHD were at high risk for antisocial, addictive, mood, anxiety, and eating disorders. These prospective findings, previously documented in boys with ADHD, provide further evidence for the high morbidity associated with ADHD across the life cycle."

The quest is now to find interventions to reduce these risks.


For the full abstract, click here.

Am J Psychiatry 167(4):409-417, April 2010 © 2010 to the American Psychiatric Association
Adult Psychiatric Outcomes of Girls With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: 11-Year Follow-Up in a Longitudinal Case-Control Study. Joseph Biederman, Carter R. Petty, Michael C. Monuteaux, et al. Correspondence to Dr. Biederman: [email protected]

Category: P. Psychological, Z. Social Problems. Keywords: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, ADHD, girls, antisocial disorders, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, developmental disorders, addictive disorders, eating disorders, case-control study, journal watch.
Synopsis edited by Dr Linda French, Toledo, Ohio. Posted on Global Family Doctor 4 May 2010

Pearls are an independent product of the Cochrane primary care group and are meant for educational use and not to guide clinical care.

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