Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
ARTICLESFamily Adversity in DSM-IV ADHD Combined and Inattentive Subtypes and Associated Disruptive Behavior Problems
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Participants
A total of 206 boys and girls and 337 parents (206 mothers, 131 fathers) provided at least partial data on symptoms and adversity indexes. Children were classified into three groups: ADHD-C (n = 96), ADHD-PI (n = 38), and non-ADHD (control, n = 72). A generally but not exclusively community-based recruitment strategy was followed in which families with children in the first through sixth grade were recruited from invitation letters sent to parents of children in the local school districts and
RESULTS
Table 1 provides demographics and descriptive information. Diagnostic groups did not differ in gender, ethnic makeup, or age. The sample was 81% white, 10% African American, 5% Latino, 2% Native American, and 2% mixed or other, closely mirroring the ethnic makeup of the local community. Differences in behavioral ratings were consistent with the intended differentiation of children into ADHD subtypes.
DISCUSSION
The current study sought to determine whether previously reported associations of family adversity with child ADHD could be replicated using DSM-IV definitions, whether adversity would be specific to a particular ADHD subtype, and to evaluate specificity of adversity to ADHD versus associated disruptive behavior problems and relative contributions of individual risk factors. The main findings were (1) more adversity in children with ADHD-C than other groups, even with oppositional and conduct
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This study was supported by NIMH grant MH59105. The authors are grateful for the assistance of Marian Philips and the Lansing School District Office of Evaluation Services.
Disclosure: The authors have no financial relationships to disclose.