Persistence of Parent-Reported ADHD Symptoms From Childhood Through Adolescence in a Community Sample

Diversity and representation in ADHD psychosocial treatment research: A comprehensive synthesis with data from over 10,000 participants

Demographic data from nearly 50 years of treatment research for children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are synthesized. Comprehensive search identified ADHD treatment studies that were between-group designs, included a psychosocial, evidence-based treatment, and were conducted in the United States. One hundred and twenty-six studies that included 10,604 youth were examined. Reporting of demographics varied with 48% of studies (k = 61) reporting ethnicity, 73% (k = 92) reporting race, 80% (k = 101) reporting age (M age = 8.81, SD = 2.82), and 88% (k = 111) reporting gender. Most participants identified as non-Hispanic/Latine (15.99% Hispanic/Latine), White (62.54%), and boys (74.39%; 24.47% girls). Since the 1970s, zero youth in ADHD treatment studies identified as Middle Eastern/North African, 0.1% were American Indian/Alaskan Native or Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander, 1.77% were Asian, 15.10% were Black, and 3.14% were Multiracial. Based on publication year, the proportions of girls, racially minoritized youth, and Hispanic/Latine youth included in ADHD treatment research have increased over time. Girls, non-binary and non-cisgender youth, young children, adolescents, Hispanic/Latine youth, and youth from all racial groups other than White are underrepresented in ADHD treatment research. Research gaps are discussed, and recommendations for comprehensive demographic reporting in child and adolescent psychological research are provided.

Change in Adolescents' Perceived ADHD Symptoms Across 17 Days of Ecological Momentary Assessment

OBJECTIVE

To test whether adolescents' perceived ADHD symptoms may improve while monitoring them throughout the day.

METHOD

In a sample of 90 adolescents (Mage = 14.7; 66% boys, 34% girls; 76.7% White, 13.3% Black or African American, 8.9% more than one race, 1.1% "other") treated for ADHD by their pediatricians, this study examined: (1) whether self-rated ADHD symptoms decreased across 17 days of 4 times daily ecological momentary assessment (EMA) of symptoms and (2) whether completing versus missing an EMA survey was associated with lower self-rated ADHD symptoms in the subsequent hours.

RESULTS

Multilevel regression analyses showed that, on average, adolescents' perceived ADHD symptoms (inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and total across domains) decreased across 17 days of EMA. Within person, symptoms were lower following completed versus missed EMA surveys. Significant moderating effects showed that the effect of completing the prior EMA survey weakened across the day and over the course of the 17 days.

CONCLUSIONS

This study is the first to document acute improvements in self-rated ADHD symptoms using EMA in adolescents' naturalistic environments. Symptom monitoring throughout the day may help adolescents improve their day-to-day ADHD, at least acutely, and holds promise as one component of mobile-health ADHD interventions.

"Your Child Should Not Return": Preschool Expulsion Among Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder as an Early Indicator of Later Risks

OBJECTIVE

Young children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can have challenging behaviors putting them at risk for preschool expulsion and for adverse outcomes across child development, health, and education. We examined the association of preschool expulsion with ADHD symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and functioning among children with ADHD.

METHODS

Using the cross-sectional National Survey of the Diagnosis and Treatment of ADHD and Tourette Syndrome on 2947 children aged 5 to 17 years ever diagnosed with ADHD, parents reported on preschool expulsion, ADHD symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and functioning. Weighted analyses included calculations of estimated means, prevalence, and prevalence ratios.

RESULTS

Preschool expulsion was experienced by 4.4% of children ever diagnosed with ADHD (girls: 1.5%; boys: 5.7%). Children with preschool expulsion had lower mean ages at first concern about ADHD symptoms, ADHD diagnosis, and initiation of ADHD medication and had higher prevalence of severe ADHD symptoms and other mental, behavioral, or developmental disorders. A history of preschool expulsion was associated with difficulties with overall school performance, organized activities, writing, handwriting, and the parent-child relationship, but not with math, reading, or peer or sibling relationships. Children with preschool expulsion more often received school supports, behavioral classroom management, peer intervention, and social skills training.

CONCLUSION

Among children ever diagnosed with ADHD, history of preschool expulsion was associated with more severe ADHD symptoms, other disorders, earlier diagnosis and medication initiation, and academic and social impairment. Health care providers can use preschool expulsion as an indicator of risk for children with ADHD and connect families to effective treatments.

Low Persistence of Inattention Symptoms From Childhood to Adolescence: A Population-Based Study

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the persistence of dimensional measures of inattention in a population-based, gender-balanced sample of adolescents with parent reports of inattention from childhood and self-reports of inattention in adolescence.

METHOD

Adolescents, 16-19 years old, completed the Adult ADHD Self Report Scale. Their parents completed the Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham Rating Scale-4th Edition when they were 7-9 and 11-13 years old.

RESULTS

More severe inattention in boys than girls in childhood shifted to a female predominance in adolescence. The correlation between reports of inattention in childhood and adolescence was weak, with parent reports explaining only ~5% of the variance in the inattention score reported in adolescence.

CONCLUSION

The weak association between inattention in childhood and adolescence is consistent with the emerging challenges associated with being an adolescent, but the impact of shifts in informants, gender and age on symtpom presentations should be investigated in future studies.

A longitudinal investigation of parental ratings and performance metrics for executive functioning and symptom severity in clinically referred youth with ADHD

There remains a knowledge gap concerning the persistence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) over the longer term. The current study aimed to investigate the change in parent-rated, and performance-based metrics of executive functioning (EF) and the relationship between these EF metrics and ADHD symptoms in individuals with ADHD from childhood/adolescence to young adulthood. This was done by examining possible improvements in parent-rated EF and performance-based measures of inattention and inhibition over a three-year interval and their relationship to ADHD outcomes in 137 clinically referred youth with ADHD (mean age = 12.4 years, SD = 3.1). Participants' parents completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) and the Swanson-Nolan-Pelham Scale at baseline and follow-up. Participants completed the Conners' Continuous Performance Test, Version II (CPT II) at baseline and follow-up. Statistical analyses were performed with Linear Mixed Models. The sex- and age-standardized measures Commission and Hit reaction time (RT) subscales of the CPT II and parent-rated metacognitive, and behavior regulation composites of the BRIEF were largely stable between measuring points. CPT Omissions, Hit RT standard error (reaction time variability), and parent-rated ADHD symptom scores improved slightly. BRIEF composites and reaction time variability were related to ADHD symptoms using longitudinal data. Overall, behavioral aspects of EF, as observed by parents in the home context, appear to play a significant role in the trajectory of childhood ADHD.

Neurogenetic mechanisms of risk for ADHD: Examining associations of polygenic scores and brain volumes in a population cohort

BACKGROUND

ADHD polygenic scores (PGSs) have been previously shown to predict ADHD outcomes in several studies. However, ADHD PGSs are typically correlated with ADHD but not necessarily reflective of causal mechanisms. More research is needed to elucidate the neurobiological mechanisms underlying ADHD. We leveraged functional annotation information into an ADHD PGS to (1) improve the prediction performance over a non-annotated ADHD PGS and (2) test whether volumetric variation in brain regions putatively associated with ADHD mediate the association between PGSs and ADHD outcomes.

METHODS

Data were from the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort (N = 555). Multiple mediation models were tested to examine the indirect effects of two ADHD PGSs-one using a traditional computation involving clumping and thresholding and another using a functionally annotated approach (i.e., AnnoPred)-on ADHD inattention (IA) and hyperactivity-impulsivity (HI) symptoms, via gray matter volumes in the cingulate gyrus, angular gyrus, caudate, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and inferior temporal lobe.

RESULTS

A direct effect was detected between the AnnoPred ADHD PGS and IA symptoms in adolescents. No indirect effects via brain volumes were detected for either IA or HI symptoms. However, both ADHD PGSs were negatively associated with the DLPFC.

CONCLUSIONS

The AnnoPred ADHD PGS was a more developmentally specific predictor of adolescent IA symptoms compared to the traditional ADHD PGS. However, brain volumes did not mediate the effects of either a traditional or AnnoPred ADHD PGS on ADHD symptoms, suggesting that we may still be underpowered in clarifying brain-based biomarkers for ADHD using genetic measures.

Structural and diffusion-weighted brain imaging predictors of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and its symptomology in very young (4- to 7-year-old) children

The current study aimed to identify the key neurobiology of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as it relates to ADHD diagnostic category and symptoms of hyperactive/impulsive behaviour and inattention. To do so, we adapted a predictive modelling approach to identify the key structural and diffusion-weighted brain imaging measures and their relative standing with respect to teacher ratings of executive function (EF) (measured by the Metacognition Index of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function [BRIEF]) and negativity and emotion regulation (ER) (measured by the Emotion Regulation Checklist [ERC]), in a critical young age range (ages 4 to 7, mean age 5.52 years, 82.2% Hispanic/Latino), where initial contact with educators and clinicians typically take place. Teacher ratings of EF and ER were predictive of both ADHD diagnostic category and symptoms of hyperactive/impulsive behaviour and inattention. Among the neural measures evaluated, the current study identified the critical importance of the largely understudied diffusion-weighted imaging measures for the underlying neurobiology of ADHD and its associated symptomology. Specifically, our analyses implicated the inferior frontal gyrus as a critical predictor of ADHD diagnostic category and its associated symptomology, above and beyond teacher ratings of EF and ER. Collectively, the current set of findings have implications for theories of ADHD, the relative utility of neurobiological measures with respect to teacher ratings of EF and ER, and the developmental trajectory of its underlying neurobiology.

Validating Embedded Validity Indicators of Feigned ADHD-Associated Cognitive Impairment Using the MOXO-d-CPT

BACKGROUND

The current study aimed to validate the utility of previously established validity indicators derived from MOXO-d-CPT's continuous performance test.

METHOD

Healthy simulators feigned impairment after searching online for relevant information, an ecologically valid coaching condition (n = 39). They were compared to ADHD patients (n = 36) and healthy controls (n = 38).

RESULTS

Simulators performed significantly worse than ADHD patients in all MOXO-d-CPT indices, as well as a scale that integrates their contributions (feigned ADHD scale). Three indices (attention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity) and the latter scale exhibited adequate discriminative capacity. Higher education was associated with an exaggerated impairment among simulators, easing their detection.

CONCLUSION

Similarity between the current study and a previous study which examned the utlity of the MOXO-d-CPT validity indicators, increases our confidence in the efficacy of the latters embedded validity indicators. Though the findings provide initial validation of these validity indicators, generalizing beyond highly functioning participants necessitates further research.

Treatment patterns among children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in the United States - a retrospective claims analysis

BACKGROUND

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurobehavioral disorder affecting approximately 10.0% of children and 6.5% of adolescents in the United States (US). A comprehensive assessment of the current treatment landscape is warranted to highlight potential unmet needs of children and adolescents with ADHD. Therefore, this study described treatment patterns and healthcare costs among commercially insured children and adolescents with ADHD in the US.

METHODS

Children and adolescents with ADHD initiating pharmacological treatment indicated for ADHD were identified from IBM MarketScan Commercial Database (2014-2018). A treatment sequence algorithm was used to examine treatment patterns, including discontinuation (≥ 180 days following the last day of supply of any ADHD treatment), switch, add-on, and drop (discontinuation of an agent in combination therapy), during the 12-month study period following the index date (i.e., first observed ADHD treatment). Total adjusted annual healthcare costs were compared between patients with and without treatment changes.

RESULTS

Among 49,756 children and 29,093 adolescents included, mean age was 9 and 15 years, respectively, and 31% and 38% were female. As the first treatment regimen observed, 92% of both children and adolescents initiated a stimulant and 11% initiated combination therapy. Over half of the population had a treatment change over 12 months-59% of children and 68% of adolescents. Treatment discontinuation over 12 months was common in both populations-21% of children and 36% of adolescents discontinued treatment. Healthcare costs increased with the number of treatment changes observed; children and adolescents with treatment changes (i.e., 1, 2, or ≥ 3) incurred an incremental annual cost of up to $1,443 and $2,705, respectively, compared to those without a treatment change (p < 0.001). Costs were largely driven by outpatient visits.

CONCLUSIONS

Over a 12-month period, treatment changes were commonly observed and were associated with excess costs, highlighting the unmet treatment needs of children and adolescents with ADHD in the US.

Age-Related Variance in Performance versus Ratings of Attention and Impulse Regulation in Children: Implications for the Assessment of ADHD

Executive function task (EF) deficits are hypothesized to underlie difficulties with self-regulation. However, tasks assessing EF impairments have only been weakly correlated with rating scales that index self-regulation difficulties. A community sample of children and youth aged between 8 and 20 years old were assessed longitudinally. Growth curve analyses and correlations were conducted to better understand how these two types of measures relate to one another across development, as well as the impact of age-related variance. EF was assessed using the Stroop Task and Trail Making test and behavioral ratings of self-regulation were captured using the SWAN scale. EF task performance improved steeply until age 14–15, whereas the SWAN Scale showed small age-related decreases. EF task performance was moderately correlated with age among 8–13-year-olds and to a lesser extent among 14–20-year-olds. SWAN scores were not significantly related to age in either group. Correlations were similar in an ADHD “at-risk” subgroup. EF task performance and parent ratings of attention regulation have different developmental trajectories, which may partly explain why correlations are low to modest in these samples. In particular, age-related variance is an important methodological consideration with significant implications for the assessment of self-regulation in children and youth with ADHD.

Stability of mental disorder prevalence estimates among school-aged children and adolescents: findings from the community-based project to learn about youth-mental health (PLAY-MH) and replication-PLAY-MH (Re-PLAY-MH), 2014-2017

PURPOSE

This study evaluated the stability over time of prevalence estimates of mental disorders among school-aged children from the same community.

METHODS

We compared screening status and weighted prevalence of selected mental disorders from the two-stage school-based South Carolina Project to Learn About Youth-Mental Health (Time 1) and its replication study (Time 2) conducted between 2014 and 2017. During stage 1, two teacher screeners were used to group students into high or low risk for a mental disorder. During stage 2, parents of selected students completed a structured diagnostic interview to assess whether their child met criteria for specific disorders.

RESULTS

For stage 1, 19.9% of students screened as high risk for a mental disorder at Time 2 compared to 17.8% at Time 1. Among students included at both timepoints, 9.1% screened as high risk at both timepoints while screening status changed for 20.7%. The overall prevalence of included mental disorders was approximately 18% at both time points There were no differences (P-values >.05) in prevalence of individual mental disorders between Time 1 (range:0.3%-6.7%) and Time 2 (range:1.2%-7.7%).

CONCLUSIONS

Study findings demonstrate that similar methodology yielded similar prevalence estimates of mental disorders and can inform community-level planning for improving mental health in children.

Exploring ADHD Symptoms and Associated Impairment across Development

OBJECTIVE

ADHD symptoms typically decline with age, but less is known about whether the presentation of specific ADHD symptoms differs across development. This study aimed to examine the frequency and associated impairment of specific ADHD symptoms in childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood.

METHOD

A prospective, longitudinal cohort, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, was utilized (N = 2,327). ADHD symptoms and impairment were assessed using the Development and Well Being Assessment at ages 7, 15, and 25.

RESULTS

Specific ADHD symptom frequencies and their associated impairment varied across development for the majority of symptoms, although easily distracted was one of the most commonly reported symptoms at each age, and difficulty sustaining attention was consistently associated with high levels of impairment.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest differences in the presentations of ADHD symptoms across development: current understanding of how ADHD presents in childhood/adolescence may not be generalizable to young adulthood.

The relationship between executive function, processing speed, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in middle childhood

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a heterogeneous disorder that is highly impairing. Early, accurate diagnosis maximizes long-term positive outcomes for youth with ADHD. Tests of executive functioning (EF) are potential tools for screening and differential diagnosis of ADHD subtypes. However, previous research has been inconsistent regarding the specificity and magnitude of EF deficits across ADHD subtypes. Here, we advance knowledge of the EF-ADHD relationship by using: (1) dimensional latent factor models of ADHD that captures the heterogeneity of expression, and (2) a comprehensive, reliable battery of EF tasks and modeling relationships with a general factor of EF ability. We tested 1548 children and adolescents (ages 7-15 years) from the Texas Twin Project, a population-based cohort with a diverse socioeconomic and ethnic composition. We show that EF deficits were specific to the inattention domain of ADHD. Moreover, we found that the association between EF task performance and inattention was stable across sociodemographic groups. Our results demonstrate that failures of executive control are selectively manifested as covert inattentive symptoms, such as trouble with organization, forgetfulness, and distractedness, rather than overt symptoms, such as inappropriate talkativeness and interruption. Future research, utilizing a bifactor characterization of ADHD in clinical samples, is needed to further refine understanding of the nature of cognitive deficits in ADHD across the full range of symptom variation.

Mental Health Surveillance Among Children - United States, 2013-2019

Mental health encompasses a range of mental, emotional, social, and behavioral functioning and occurs along a continuum from good to poor. Previous research has documented that mental health among children and adolescents is associated with immediate and long-term physical health and chronic disease, health risk behaviors, social relationships, education, and employment. Public health surveillance of children's mental health can be used to monitor trends in prevalence across populations, increase knowledge about demographic and geographic differences, and support decision-making about prevention and intervention. Numerous federal data systems collect data on various indicators of children's mental health, particularly mental disorders. The 2013-2019 data from these data systems show that mental disorders begin in early childhood and affect children with a range of sociodemographic characteristics. During this period, the most prevalent disorders diagnosed among U.S. children and adolescents aged 3-17 years were attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and anxiety, each affecting approximately one in 11 (9.4%-9.8%) children. Among children and adolescents aged 12-17 years, one fifth (20.9%) had ever experienced a major depressive episode. Among high school students in 2019, 36.7% reported persistently feeling sad or hopeless in the past year, and 18.8% had seriously considered attempting suicide. Approximately seven in 100,000 persons aged 10-19 years died by suicide in 2018 and 2019. Among children and adolescents aged 3-17 years, 9.6%-10.1% had received mental health services, and 7.8% of all children and adolescents aged 3-17 years had taken medication for mental health problems during the past year, based on parent report. Approximately one in four children and adolescents aged 12-17 years reported having received mental health services during the past year. In federal data systems, data on positive indicators of mental health (e.g., resilience) are limited. Although no comprehensive surveillance system for children's mental health exists and no single indicator can be used to define the mental health of children or to identify the overall number of children with mental disorders, these data confirm that mental disorders among children continue to be a substantial public health concern. These findings can be used by public health professionals, health care providers, state health officials, policymakers, and educators to understand the prevalence of specific mental disorders and other indicators of mental health and the challenges related to mental health surveillance.

Developmental Trajectory of Inattention and Its Association With Depressive Symptoms in Adolescence: Peer Relationships as a Mediator

This study investigated the developmental trajectory of inattention symptoms as a predictor of later depressive symptoms in adolescence, and examined potential mediating role of peer relationships in this process. Participants were adolescents who were part of the large longitudinal panel study on Korean Youths, Korean Children & Youth Panel Survey 2010 (KCYPS 2010) of the National Youth Policy Institute (NYPI). Specifically, data were drawn from two cohorts of KCYPS that differed in participant age (Panel 1: 2003 birth cohort, n = 2,342, 48.2% girls; Panel 2: 2000 birth cohorts, n = 2,378, 40.0% girls). We analyzed data collected from 2010 to 2016 when children in panel 1 were 6-7 to 12-13 years old, and children in panel 2 were 9-10 to 15-16 years old. Results of latent growth modeling (LGM) were as follows. In Panel 1, the inattention symptoms increased from 9-10 to 12-13 years. Otherwise, the inattention symptoms decreased from 11-12 to 15-16 years in panel 2. Additionally, in both panels, initial status and slope of inattention significantly predicted later levels of depressive symptoms, and peer relationships partly mediated the association between inattention trajectory and depressive symptoms. The findings are discussed with respect to considering the growth of inattention and the quality of peer relationships as promising targets for early identification and intervention of depression in adolescents.

Neurological state changes indicative of ADHD in children learned via EEG-based LSTM networks

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that pervasively interferes with the lives of individuals starting in childhood.

OBJECTIVE

To address the subjectivity of current diagnostic approaches, many studies have been dedicated to efforts to identify the differences between ADHD and neurotypical (NT) individuals using EEG and continuous performance tests (CPT).

APPROACH

In this study, we proposed EEG-based long short-term memory (LSTM) networks that utilize deep learning techniques with learning the cognitive state transition to discriminate between ADHD and NT children via EEG signal processing. A total of thirty neurotypical children and thirty ADHD children participated in CPT tests while being monitored with EEG. Several architectures of deep and machine learning were applied to three EEG data segments including resting state, cognitive execution, and a period containing a fusion of those.

MAIN RESULTS

The experimental results indicated that EEG-based LSTM networks produced the best performance with an average accuracy of 90.50 ± 0.81 % in comparison with the deep neural networks, the convolutional neural networks, and the support vector machines with learning the cognitive state transition of EEG data. Novel observations of individual neural markers showed that the beta power activity of the O1 and O2 sites contributed the most to the classifications, subjects exhibited decreased beta power in the ADHD group, and had larger decreases during cognitive execution.

SIGNIFICANCE

These findings showed that the proposed EEG-based LSTM networks are capable of extracting the varied temporal characteristics of high-resolution electrophysiological signals to differentiate between ADHD and NT children, and brought a new insight to facilitate the diagnosis of ADHD. The registration numbers of the institutional review boards are 16MMHIS021 and EC1070401-F.

Characterizing the heterogeneous course of inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity from childhood to young adulthood

To advance understanding of the heterogeneity in the course of ADHD, joint symptom trajectories of inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity from childhood to young adulthood were modelled and associated with genetic, demographic, and clinical characteristics. Data were obtained from the NeuroIMAGE cohort which includes 485 individuals with ADHD, their 665 siblings, and 399 typically developing children. Trajectories were based on scores of the Conners Parent Rating Scale Revised and estimated over seven homogeneous age bins (from 5 to 28 years) using parallel process latent class growth analysis on data collected across 2-4 time points. Multilevel multinomial logistic regression was used to identify characteristics that differentiated between the derived classes. A seven-class solution revealed "severe combined stable" (4.8%), "severe combined decreasing" (13%), "severe inattentive stable" (4.8%), "moderate combined increasing" (7.5%), "moderate combined decreasing" (12.7%), "stable mild" (12.9%), and "stable low" (44.3%) classes. Polygenic risk for depression, ADHD diagnosis, ADHD medication use, IQ, comorbid symptom levels (foremost oppositional behaviour), and functional impairment levels differentiated classes with similar ADHD symptom levels in childhood but a diverging course thereafter. The course of ADHD is highly heterogeneous, with stable, decreasing, and increasing trajectories. Overall, severe symptom levels in childhood are associated with elevated-to-severe symptom levels in adolescence and young adulthood, despite substantial symptom reductions. Beyond symptom severity in childhood, genetic, demographic, and clinical characteristics distinguish the heterogeneous course.

Polygenic Risk and the Course of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder From Childhood to Young Adulthood: Findings From a Nationally Representative Cohort

OBJECTIVE

To understand whether genetic risk for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with the course of the disorder across childhood and into young adulthood.

METHOD

Participants were from the Environmental Risk (E-Risk) Longitudinal Twin Study, a population-based birth cohort of 2,232 twins. ADHD was assessed at ages 5, 7, 10, and 12 with mother- and teacher-reports and at age 18 with self-report. Polygenic risk scores (PRSs) were created using a genome-wide association study of ADHD case status. Associations with PRS were examined at multiple points in childhood and longitudinally from early childhood to adolescence. We investigated ADHD PRS and course to young adulthood, as reflected by ADHD remission, persistence, and late onset.

RESULTS

Participants with higher ADHD PRSs had increased risk for meeting ADHD diagnostic criteria (odds ratios ranging from 1.17 at age 10 to 1.54 at age 12) and for elevated symptoms at ages 5, 7, 10, and 12. Higher PRS was longitudinally associated with more hyperactivity/impulsivity (incidence rate ratio = 1.18) and inattention (incidence rate ratio = 1.14) from age 5 to age 12. In young adulthood, participants with persistent ADHD exhibited the highest PRS (mean PRS = 0.37), followed by participants with remission (mean PRS = 0.21); both groups had higher PRS than controls (mean PRS = -0.03), but did not significantly differ from one another. Participants with late-onset ADHD did not show elevated PRS for ADHD, depression, alcohol dependence, or marijuana use disorder.

CONCLUSION

Genetic risk scores derived from case-control genome-wide association studies may have relevance not only for incidence of mental health disorders, but also for understanding the longitudinal course of mental health disorders.

A Review of Working Memory Training in the Management of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders among children. Working memory deficits underlie many of the behavioural symptoms of ADHD. Alongside psychostimulant medications, strategies to improve working memory may play an important adjuvant role in the management of ADHD. In this study, we review the role of working memory deficits in ADHD, the evidence surrounding working memory training strategies in the management of the condition, and the factors affecting the success of these strategies in alleviating ADHD symptoms. More specifically, we review several non-pharmacological interventions that target working memory deficits in ADHD, with special emphasis on cognitive working memory training. We conclude that the development of evidence-based interventions such as computerised cognitive training (CCT) could provide an alternative or adjunct to the use of psychostimulants, especially in cases where side effects are a major issue.

A Phase 3, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Once-Daily Viloxazine Extended-Release Capsules in Adolescents With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

PURPOSE

This phase 3 clinical trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of viloxazine extended-release capsules (VLX-ER) as a monotherapy for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adolescents (12-17 years).

METHODS

Eligible subjects (n = 310) were randomized to receive once-daily 200 and 400 mg VLX-ER, or placebo for 6 weeks. The primary efficacy end point was change from baseline (CFB) at the end of study (EOS) in ADHD Rating Scale-5 Total score. Key secondary end points were Clinical Global Impression-Improvement score at EOS, CFB at EOS in Conners 3-Parent Short Form Composite T-score, and CFB at EOS in Weiss Functional Impairment Rating Scale-Parent Total average score.

RESULTS

In the 200-mg/d and 400-mg/d VLX-ER treatment groups, a significant improvement was found in the CFB at EOS in ADHD Rating Scale-5 Total (P = 0.0232, P = 0.0091) and Inattention (P = 0.0424, P = 0.0390) and Hyperactivity/Impulsivity (P = 0.0069, P = 0.0005) subscale scores versus placebo. The Clinical Global Impression-Improvement score was significantly improved at EOS in the 200-mg/d and 400-mg/d VLX-ER groups versus placebo (P = 0.0042, P = 0.0003). The Conners 3-Parent Short Form composite T-score and Weiss Functional Impairment Rating Scale-Parent Total average score exhibited improvement in both VLX-ER groups; however, the difference versus placebo was not statistically significant. The most common treatment-related adverse events were somnolence, headache, decreased appetite, nausea, and fatigue. The adverse event-related discontinuation rates were <5% in all groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Viloxazine extended-release demonstrated statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in ADHD symptoms in adolescents and was generally well tolerated.

Open-Label Dose Optimization of Methylphenidate Extended-Release Orally Disintegrating Tablet in a Laboratory Classroom Study of Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Objective: To examine the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of methylphenidate extended-release orally disintegrating tablets (MPH XR-ODT) for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) during the open-label dose-optimization/stabilization period of a phase 3 laboratory classroom study. Methods: Children (6-12 years) diagnosed with ADHD were enrolled. Treatment was initiated with MPH XR-ODT 20 mg daily. Doses were adjusted weekly by 10-20 mg during the 4-week dose-optimization period (visits 2-5) until an optimal dose was reached. The optimal dose was sustained during a 1-week stabilization period (visits 6-7). Efficacy was assessed using the ADHD Rating Scale-IV (ADHD-RS-IV) score and the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) score. Adverse events (AEs) were recorded throughout the study. A secondary subgroup analysis by baseline ADHD-RS-IV score, sex, age, and weight was also performed. Results: The mean (standard deviation [SD]) final optimized MPH XR-ODT daily dose was 41.8 (14.6) mg and ranged from 20 to 60 mg. Final optimized dose was higher for children with more severe baseline ADHD-RS-IV total scores. ADHD-RS-IV total scores decreased progressively during dose optimization, with a mean (SD) change from baseline at visit 7 of -21.4 (8.9). CGI-I scores shifted from "minimally improved" (mean [SD]: 3.1 [1.1]) at visit 3 to "much improved" (1.6 [0.6]) at visit 7. Baseline ADHD-RS-IV total score was highest for participants optimized to 40 mg (mean [standard error]: 40.0 [1.4]) and lowest for those optimized to 20 mg (34.8 [2.1]). By visit 6, mean ADHD-RS-IV score was comparable for all optimized dose groups. Common treatment-emergent AEs (≥5% of participants) included decreased appetite, upper abdominal pain, headaches, and insomnia. Conclusions: Dose optimization of MPH XR-ODT led to a reduction in ADHD symptoms, indicated by a decrease in ADHD-RS-IV and CGI-I scores. AEs were consistent with those of other MPH products. Clinical Trial Registry: NCT01835548 (ClinicalTrials.gov).

Individualization of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder treatment: pharmacotherapy considerations by age and co-occurring conditions

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that manifests in childhood and can persist into adolescence and adulthood. Impairments associated with ADHD can impact quality of life, social interactions, and increase the risk of morbidity and mortality; however, for many patients, effective treatment can lessen these effects. Pharmacotherapy with stimulants or nonstimulants is recommended in conjunction with psychosocial therapy for most patients. Determining the optimal pharmacotherapy can be complex, and the clinician needs to consider many factors such as the patient's age, comorbidities, and lifestyle. Furthermore, the needs of the patient with ADHD will change over time, with specific challenges to consider at each stage of life. A variety of Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved stimulant and nonstimulant formulations are available with different modes of delivery and durations of effect. This armamentarium of ADHD medications can be used to individualize ADHD treatment for each patient's needs. This article combines current information from the literature and the first-hand experience of the authors to provide guidance on ADHD treatment options for patients of different ages and for some of the more common comorbidities.

Detection of Feigned ADHD Using the MOXO-d-CPT

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the MOXO-d-CPT utility in detecting feigned ADHD and establish cutoffs with adequate specificity and sensitivity. Method: The study had two phases. First, using a prospective design, healthy adults who simulated ADHD were compared with healthy controls and ADHD patients who performed the tasks to the best of their ability (n = 47 per group). Participants performed the MOXO-d-CPT and an established performance validity test (PVT). Second, the MOXO-d-CPT classification accuracy, employed in Phase 1, was retrospectively compared with archival data of 47 ADHD patients and age-matched healthy controls. Results: Simulators performed significantly worse on all MOXO-d-CPT indices than healthy controls and ADHD patients. Three MOXO-d-CPT indices (attention, hyperactivity, impulsivity) and a scale combining these indices showed adequate discriminative capacity. Conclusion: The MOXO-d-CPT showed promise for the detection of feigned ADHD and, pending replication, can be employed for this aim in clinical practice and ADHD research.

Pediatric tuina for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in preschool children: study protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Medication and behavior therapy are the conventional treatments for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but they have limitations for preschool children. Evidence suggests that pediatric tuina, which is a modality of traditional Chinese medicine, might have beneficial effects on this condition.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the feasibility of conducting an RCT in terms of recruitment, use, and acceptability of the parent-administered pediatric tuina for ADHD symptoms in preschoolers.

METHODS

It is a single-center, two-arm, parallel, open-label, pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT). Sixty children with pre-specified ADHD symptoms (hyperactivity, anxiety, and sleep disturbance) together with one of their parents will be recruited and randomized into two groups at a 1:1 ratio. Parents in the parent-administered tuina group (intervention group, n = 30) will attend an online training program to learn pediatric tuina skills for ADHD symptoms and conduct this treatment on their children at home. Parents in the parent-child interaction group (comparison group, n = 30) will attend an online training about progressive muscle relaxation exercise and do this exercise with their children at home. Additional teaching materials will be provided to the participants in both groups. Both interventions should be carried out every other day during a 2-month treatment period, with each time around 20 min. Assessment will be performed at baseline, week 4, and week 8. The primary outcome measure is the Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham parent scale; the secondary outcomes include preschool anxiety scale, children's sleep habits questionnaire, and parental stress scale. A process evaluation embedded within the outcome evaluation will be performed. Differences in the scale scores and test parameters between groups will be examined using a linear mixed-effects model. Qualitative data will be analyzed using thematic content analysis, facilitated by QSR NVivo.

DISCUSSION

This study will provide evidence on the acceptability and feasibility of pediatric tuina for ADHD in preschool children. The process evaluation will help to better understand the facilitators and barriers of the intervention functioning.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT04237259 ) on 14 February 2020. Protocol version: 2; date, 23 June 2020.

The Clinical Characteristics of ADHD Diagnosed in Adolescents in Comparison With Younger Children

Objective: The aim of this study is to identify the clinical characteristics in adolescents newly diagnosed with ADHD. Method: Data of patients aged 7 to 17 years diagnosed with ADHD were collected and analyzed. The patients were divided into adolescents aged 13 to 17 years (Group I) and children aged 7 to 12 years (Group II): 592 males and 231 females. Group I consists of 450 participants, and Group II consists of 373 participants. Results: Adolescents were predominantly inattentive (63.8%); most of Group II patients had combined or hyperactive ADHD (70.8%). Learning disorders were more common in adolescents (51.2% vs. 39.7%) and treated mainly with long-acting methylphenidate (MPH), and Group II patients were treated mainly with short- and medium-acting MPH. Newly diagnosed adolescents were less likely to exhibit behavioral comorbidities. Headache and insomnia were reported more in adolescents, and stimulant rebound effect was more in younger children. Conclusion: Although the biological nature of ADHD is similar in both age groups, the primary symptomatology and associated comorbidities are prone to age-dependent changes.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: diagnostic criteria, epidemiology, risk factors and evaluation in youth

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common neurodevelopmental disorder in childhood with persistence into adulthood. It has a multifactorial etiology. Its chronicity, if diagnosis is missed or delayed, will result in significant negative impact on the individual's overall functioning and development. With the revised diagnostic criteria released in 2013 by the American Psychiatric Association, established standards of clinical practice continue to be applicable and valuable in the diagnosis and management of ADHD. In older children and adolescents, it is important to differentiate what is developmentally appropriate from problematic as ADHD has high correlation with poor outcomes, comorbidities, and low quality of life.

Associations between sleep problems and ADHD symptoms among adolescents: findings from the Shandong Adolescent Behavior and Health Cohort (SABHC)

Study Objectives

Sleep problems and symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adolescence are common. Little is known about the prospective the prospective associations between sleep and subsequent ADHD symptoms in adolescents. This study examined the prospective associations between sleep problems and subsequent ADHD symptoms in a large sample of adolescents.

Methods

Participants included 7072 adolescents from the Shandong Adolescent Behavior and Health Cohort (SABHC) study in Shandong, China. Participants were initially assessed in November–December of 2015 and were reassessed 1-year later in 2016. Sleep duration, sleep problems, and psychosocial information were collected using a structured questionnaire. ADHD symptoms were measured by the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist-Youth Self-Report.

Results

At baseline, 7.6% participants had clinically relevant ADHD symptoms, which were highly comorbid with sleep problems including insomnia symptoms, poor sleep quality, symptoms of restless legs syndrome (RLS), frequent snoring, and short sleep duration. Of the 6531 participants without clinically relevant ADHD symptoms at baseline, 4.5% reported clinically relevant ADHD symptoms at 1-year follow-up. After adolescent and family covariates were adjusted for, insomnia (OR = 2.09, 95% CI = 1.45–3.02), RLS (OR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.02–2.11), and frequent snoring (OR = 2.30, 95% CI = 1.36–3.90) were all significantly associated with subsequent ADHD symptoms.

Conclusion

ADHD symptoms and sleep problems are highly comorbid. Insomnia, RLS and frequent snoring appear to be significant predictors of subsequent ADHD symptoms. Our study highlights the importance of assessing and managing sleep problems for prevention and clinical treatment of ADHD symptoms in adolescence.

Clinical Practice Guideline for the Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Children and Adolescents

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is 1 of the most common neurobehavioral disorders of childhood and can profoundly affect children's academic achievement, well-being, and social interactions. The American Academy of Pediatrics first published clinical recommendations for evaluation and diagnosis of pediatric ADHD in 2000; recommendations for treatment followed in 2001. The guidelines were revised in 2011 and published with an accompanying process of care algorithm (PoCA) providing discrete and manageable steps by which clinicians could fulfill the clinical guideline's recommendations. Since the release of the 2011 guideline, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders has been revised to the fifth edition, and new ADHD-related research has been published. These publications do not support dramatic changes to the previous recommendations. Therefore, only incremental updates have been made in this guideline revision, including the addition of a key action statement related to diagnosis and treatment of comorbid conditions in children and adolescents with ADHD. The accompanying process of care algorithm has also been updated to assist in implementing the guideline recommendations. Throughout the process of revising the guideline and algorithm, numerous systemic barriers were identified that restrict and/or hamper pediatric clinicians' ability to adopt their recommendations. Therefore, the subcommittee created a companion article (available in the Supplemental Information) on systemic barriers to the care of children and adolescents with ADHD, which identifies the major systemic-level barriers and presents recommendations to address those barriers; in this article, we support the recommendations of the clinical practice guideline and accompanying process of care algorithm.

Investigating the agreement between the clinician and research diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and how it changes over time; a clinical cohort study

BACKGROUND

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common reason for referral to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), but families experience long delays between first professional contact and diagnosis, which risks development of secondary impairments. This study explores the agreement between clinician and research diagnoses of ADHD among children attending CAMHS, and their access to interventions. From the limited literature, we anticipated fluctuation and delays, but no other study has focused prospectively on ADHD diagnoses.

METHODS

This was a secondary analysis of a cohort of children attending two CAMHS between 2006 and 2009. The sample included 288 consecutive referrals of children aged between 5 and 11 years. Parents and teachers completed the Development and Well-Being Assessment (DAWBA) when the child was recruited to the study, which provided the research diagnosis of ADHD from the baseline. Clinicians reported no, possible, or definite diagnosis of ADHD and interventions provided at 6-monthly intervals for up to 2 years while the child attended CAMHS. We assessed agreement between the diagnoses using Kendall's Tau-B.

RESULTS

Of the 101 children with a research diagnosis of ADHD, 26 received a definite clinician diagnosis during 2-year follow-up, and 47 received a possible clinician diagnosis. The chance-corrected agreement was poor at all time points (Kendall's Tau-B 0.14-0.48). Clinician diagnoses were unstable, particularly if possible ADHD was recorded at the initial assessment. Of those with a research diagnosis, 15 were prescribed medication and 11 were offered parent training.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of standardised diagnostic assessments could reduce diagnostic uncertainty and increase access to evidence-based interventions.

Adult ADHD Symptoms and Satisfaction With Life: Does Age and Sex Matter?

OBJECTIVE

To investigate adult ADHD symptoms and satisfaction with life, with a focus on age and sex differences.

METHOD

This study is based on parents in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). The Adult Self-Report Scale (ASRS-6) and Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) scores were analyzed from 33,210 men and 41,983 women from young to middle adulthood.

RESULTS

Mean ASRS total score was significantly higher in men, where 5.1% scored above cutoff, compared with 2.9% in women. Factor loadings supported the two ASRS subscales: Inattention (Inatt) and Hyperactivity-Impulsivity (HyImp) in both sexes. A significant decline with age was found on HyImp, whereas Inatt scores were reasonably stable in men and u-curved in women. High ASRS scores were associated with lower SWLS, but poor satisfaction with life was found only in high-scoring women.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest caution to age and sex when using the ASRS-6.

Remittance or persistence of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and its impact on recidivism in risky driving behaviors

OBJECTIVE

Recent data regarding the persistence or remittance of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis into adulthood raise the question of its possible role in crucial public health issues, including road safety, especially when neurocognitive capacities are challenged.

METHODS

The study included 611 participants with serious traffic violations. The Spanish version of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.) was used to assess psychopathology. They were grouped into 3 diagnostic conditions: non-ADHD, persistent ADHD (ADHD-P), and remittent ADHD (ADHD-R). Several risky driving behaviors were analyzed.

RESULTS

Although participants with ADHD have more driving violations relative to non-ADHD, ADHD-R, and ADHD-P drivers have similar profiles. ADHD-R and ADHD-P drivers are more prone to perform risky and recidivistic behaviors relative to non-ADHD counterparts (P = .044 and P = .047, respectively); ADHD-R and ADHD-P participants are statistically comparable in this proneness (P = .772).

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that the underlying core deficits of ADHD-attention and other executive disabilities-persist despite the fact that some people no longer reach the threshold for clinical diagnosis.

A multicentre randomized controlled trial on trans-generational attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in mothers and children (AIMAC): an exploratory analysis of predictors and moderators of treatment outcome

OBJECTIVE

We examined predictors and moderators of treatment outcome in mothers and children diagnosed with ADHD in a large multicentre RCT.

METHOD

In total, 144 mother-child dyads with ADHD were randomly assigned to either a maternal ADHD treatment (group psychotherapy and open methylphenidate medication, TG) or to a control treatment (individual counselling without psycho- or pharmacotherapy, CG). After maternal ADHD treatment, parent-child training (PCT) for all mother-child dyads was added. The final analysis set was based on 123 dyads with completed primary outcome assessments (TG: n = 67, CG: n = 56). The primary outcome was the change in each child's externalizing symptoms. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed.

RESULTS

The severity of the child's externalizing problem behaviour in the family at baseline predicted more externalizing symptoms in the child after PCT, independent of maternal treatment. When mothers had a comorbid depression, TG children showed more externalizing symptoms after PCT than CG children of depressive mothers. No differences between the treatment arms were seen in the mothers without comorbid depression.

CONCLUSIONS

Severely impaired mothers with ADHD and depressive disorder are likely to need additional disorder-specific treatment for their comorbid psychiatric disorders to effectively transfer the contents of the PCT to the home situation (CCTISRCTN73911400).

National Patterns of Commonly Prescribed Psychotropic Medications to Young People

OBJECTIVE

To describe national annual prescribing patterns of stimulant, antidepressant, and antipsychotic medications to young people.

METHODS

Prescriptions for three commonly prescribed psychotropic classes (stimulants, antidepressants, and antipsychotics) to young people aged 3-24 years were analyzed from the IMS LifeLink LRx National Longitudinal Prescription database (n = 6,351,482). Denominators were adjusted to generalize estimates to the U.S.

POPULATION

Comparisons are presented of percentages filling ≥1 prescription of each medication class during the study year stratified by patient sex, age, and prescriber specialty.

RESULTS

The total annual percentage of prescriptions filled by youth for any of the three medication classes was by age 3-5 years (0.8%), 6-12 years (5.4%), 13-18 years (7.7%), and 19-24 years (6.0%). Stimulant use was highest for older children (age 11 = 5.7%). Antidepressant use tended to increase with age and was highest for young adults (age 24 = 4.8%). Annual antipsychotic prescription percentages were lower than antidepressant or stimulant percentages for all age groups, with a peak in adolescence (age 16 = 1.3%). Annual stimulant and antipsychotic percentages for males were higher than corresponding percentages for females, but converged for young adults. Psychiatrists and child psychiatrists accounted for most of the prescriptions of antidepressants (22.2%-53.2%) and antipsychotics (51.7%-70%), but fewer of the stimulant prescriptions (30.4%-36.2%).

CONCLUSIONS

The age and sex distribution of stimulants and antidepressants among young people is broadly consistent with known epidemiologic patterns of their established indications for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, and depression. The pattern of antipsychotics may reflect the heterogeneity of disorders and conditions treated with this medication class.

Prevalence of Parent-Reported ADHD Diagnosis and Associated Treatment Among U.S. Children and Adolescents, 2016

The purpose of this study is to estimate the national prevalence of parent-reported attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis and treatment among U.S. children 2-17 years of age using the 2016 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH). The NSCH is a nationally representative, cross-sectional survey of parents regarding their children's health that underwent a redesign before the 2016 data collection. It included indicators of lifetime receipt of an ADHD diagnosis by a health care provider, whether the child currently had ADHD, and receipt of medication and behavioral treatment for ADHD. Weighted prevalence estimates were calculated overall and by demographic and clinical subgroups (n = 45,736). In 2016, an estimated 6.1 million U.S. children 2-17 years of age (9.4%) had ever received an ADHD diagnosis. Of these, 5.4 million currently had ADHD, which was 89.4% of children ever diagnosed with ADHD and 8.4% of all U.S. children 2-17 years of age. Of children with current ADHD, almost two thirds (62.0%) were taking medication and slightly less than half (46.7%) had received behavioral treatment for ADHD in the past year; nearly one fourth (23.0%) had received neither treatment. Similar to estimates from previous surveys, there is a large population of U.S. children and adolescents who have been diagnosed with ADHD by a health care provider. Many, but not all, of these children received treatment that appears to be consistent with professional guidelines, though the survey questions are limited in detail about specific treatment types received. The redesigned NSCH can be used to annually monitor diagnosis and treatment patterns for this highly prevalent and high-impact neurodevelopmental disorder.

Associations Between Core Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Both Binge and Restrictive Eating

INTRODUCTION

It is unclear whether core symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) relate to specific types of disordered eating and little is known about the mediating mechanisms. We investigated associations between core symptoms of ADHD and binge/disinhibited eating and restrictive eating behavior and assessed whether negative mood and/or deficits in awareness and reliance on internal hunger/satiety cues mediate these relationships.

METHODS

In two independent studies, we used a dimensional approach to study ADHD and disordered eating. In Study 1, a community-based sample of 237 adults (72.6% female, 18-60 years [M = 26.8, SE = 0.6]) completed an online questionnaire, assessing eating attitudes/behaviors, negative mood, awareness, and reliance on internal hunger/satiety cues and ADHD symptomatology. In Study 2, 142 students (80.3% female, 18-32 years [M = 19.3, SE = 0.1]) were recruited to complete the same questionnaires and complete tasks assessing interoceptive sensitivity and impulsivity in the laboratory.

RESULTS

In each study, core symptoms of ADHD correlated positively with both binge/disinhibited and restrictive eating and negative mood mediated the relationships. Deficits in awareness and reliance on internal hunger/satiety signals also mediated the association between inattentive symptoms of ADHD and disordered eating, especially binge/disinhibited eating. The results from both studies demonstrated that inattentive symptoms of ADHD were also directly related to binge/disinhibited eating behavior, while accounting for the indirect pathways of association via negative mood and awareness and reliance on internal hunger/satiety signals.

CONCLUSION

This research provides evidence that core symptoms of ADHD are associated with both binge/disinhibited eating and restrictive eating behavior. Further investigation of the role of inattentive symptoms of ADHD in disordered eating may be helpful in developing novel treatments for both ADHD and binge eating.

Maternal Prepregnancy Weight and Children's Behavioral and Emotional Outcomes

INTRODUCTION

This study investigated associations between maternal prepregnancy BMI and child behaviors at ages 9-11 years and examine interaction by race and gender.

METHODS

The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth and the Children and Young Adults surveys are U.S.-based, ongoing longitudinal studies, initiated in 1979 and 1986, respectively. Mothers (n=2,952) reported pregnancy and child (n=5,660) developmental information at multiple time points. Child total, internalizing, and externalizing problems at ages 9-11 years were assessed using the Behavior Problems Index (BPI), collected biennially until 2012. Associations between prepregnancy BMI and child BPI outcomes were examined, as well as two- and three-way interactions by race and gender. Analyses were conducted in 2017.

RESULTS

Boys whose mothers had higher prepregnancy weights exhibited higher total BPI and externalizing scores at ages 9-11 years versus those with normal-weight mothers. Boys with severely obese mothers had higher total BPI (mean difference=7.99, 95% CI=3.53, 12.46) and externalizing (mean difference=5.77, 95% CI=1.50, 10.04) scores. Prepregnancy underweight was associated with boys' higher total BPI (mean difference=2.34, 95% CI=0.02, 4.66) and externalizing (mean difference=3.30, 95% CI=0.69, 5.91); these associations were not significant in sensitivity analyses. No associations emerged for girls or internalizing problems. Two-way interactions by race and three-way interactions by race and gender were not significant.

CONCLUSIONS

Maternal prepregnancy weight was associated with BPI level among boys. Boys with severely obese mothers exhibited markedly higher behavioral problems at ages 9-11 years versus those with normal-weight mothers, regardless of race. Maintaining healthy prepregnancy weight may be important for preventing boys' deleterious behavior outcomes in middle childhood.

Trajectories of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder dimensions in adults

OBJECTIVE

There is a lack of available information on the trajectories of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) dimensions during adulthood. This study investigates the course and the predictors of change for each ADHD domain in a clinical sample of adults with ADHD.

METHOD

Adults with ADHD (n = 344) were followed up for 7 years, with a final retention rate of 66.0%. Trajectories of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity and their potential predictors were examined.

RESULTS

On average, symptoms declined in all ADHD domains during follow-up. Despite this, rises in inattentive, hyperactive, and impulsive symptoms were observed in approximately 13%, 25%, and 17% of patients respectively. Different predictors influenced the trajectory of each ADHD dimension. Oppositional defiant disorder and social phobia were associated with the maintenance of symptoms, while alcohol use disorder was associated with both maintenance and rise of symptoms.

CONCLUSION

Unexpectedly, a rise in the symptoms after 7 years was not uncommon in adults with ADHD. Prevalent comorbidities have the potential to influence the neurodevelopment and the trajectory of ADHD. Therefore, such predictors should be investigated in population cohorts to better characterize the course of ADHD. Additionally, these findings may be relevant in prevention studies and in strategies for ADHD treatment.

ADHD in school-aged youth: Management and special treatment considerations in the primary care setting

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is considered one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood. Primary care providers are in the unique position of providing comprehensive care-routine care, well child visits, immunizations, and other healthcare needs-to a majority of children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. As such, primary care providers are pivotal in the diagnosis, management, and treatment of this population. This article will address special treatment considerations to aid in the management of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in the primary care setting, including substance use disorders and diversion, cardiac issues and stimulant medication, medication holidays and follow-up monitoring. The database of PubMed was searched using keywords that included attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, children, prevalence, medication holidays, safety, cardiovascular, cardiac, blood pressure, substance use, diversion, adverse drug reactions; inclusion dates were January 1, 2011 to September 30, 2015.

One-year trajectory analysis for ADHD symptoms and its associated factors in community-based children and adolescents in Taiwan

BACKGROUND

Several longitudinal studies have shown the partial symptomatic persistence of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in clinic-based samples. However, little is known about the patterns and trajectories of ADHD symptoms in community-based populations.

METHODS

To differentiate developmental trajectories of ADHD symptoms over 1 year, with a four-wave quarterly follow-up in children and adolescents in the community of Taiwan, we conducted this prospective study in 1281 students in grade 3, 5, and 8. All the students in the regular classes rather than special educational classes were eligible and recruited to the study. Inattention, hyperactivity-impulsivity, and opposition-defiance were rated by parent reports on the Chinese version of the Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham Version IV Scale (SNAP-IV). Group-based trajectory modeling and multivariable regression analyses were used to explore the individual, family and social factors associated with differential trajectories.

RESULTS

Trajectories were classified as Low (29.9-40.6%), Intermediate (52.5-58.5%) and High (6.9-12.5%) based on the symptom severity of ADHD symptoms assessed by the SNAP-IV. The proportion of children in the high ADHD trajectory might approximately reflect the prevalence of ADHD in Taiwan. The following factors differentiated High from Low trajectories: male gender, more externalizing problems, fewer prosocial behaviors, school dysfunction, more home behavioral problems, and less perceived family support.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings that the concurrent conditions of emotional or externalizing problems, as well as impaired school and home function at baseline, might differentiate the high ADHD symptoms trajectory from others could help developing the specific measures for managing high ADHD symptoms over time in a school setting.

The predictors of persistent DSM-IV disorders in 3-year follow-ups of the British Child and Adolescent Mental Health Surveys 1999 and 2004

BACKGROUND

The identification of the factors that influence the persistence of psychiatric disorder may assist practitioners to focus on young people who are particularly prone to poor outcomes, but population-based samples of sufficient size are rare.

METHOD

This secondary analysis combined data from two large, population-based cross-sectional surveys in Great Britain (1999 and 2004) and their respective follow-ups (2002 and 2007), to study homotypic persistence among the 998 school-age children with psychiatric disorder at baseline. Psychiatric disorder was measured using the Development and Well-Being Assessment applying DSM-IV criteria. Factors relating to the child, family, and the severity and type of psychopathology at baseline were analysed using logistic regression.

RESULTS

Approximately 50% of children with at least one psychiatric disorder were assigned the same diagnostic grouping at 3-year follow-up. Persistent attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and anxiety were predicted by poor peer relationship scores. Persistent conduct disorder was predicted by intellectual disability, rented housing, large family size, poor family function and by severer baseline psychopathology scores.

CONCLUSIONS

Homotypic persistence was predicted by different factors for different groups of psychiatric disorders. Experimental research in clinical samples should explore whether these factors also influence response to interventions.

Childhood Factors Affecting Persistence and Desistence of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms in Adulthood: Results From the MTA

OBJECTIVE

To determine childhood factors that predict attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) persistence and desistence in adulthood.

METHOD

Regression analyses were used to determine associations between childhood factors and adult ADHD symptom persistence in 453 participants (mean age, 25 years) from the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD (MTA). Childhood IQ, total number of comorbidities, child-perceived parenting practices, child-perceived parent-child relationships, parental mental health problems, marital problems of parents, household income levels, and parental education were assessed at a mean age of 8 years in all participants. Adult ADHD persistence was defined using DSM-5 symptom counts either with or without impairment, as well as mean ADHD symptom scores on the Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scale (CAARS). Age, sex, MTA site, and childhood ADHD symptoms were covaried.

RESULTS

The most important childhood predictors of adult ADHD symptom persistence were initial ADHD symptom severity (odds ratio [OR] = 1.89, standard error [SE] = 0.28, p = .025), comorbidities (OR = 1.19, SE = 0.07, p = .018), and parental mental health problems (OR = 1.30, SE = 0.09, p = .003). Childhood IQ, socioeconomic status, parental education, and parent-child relationships showed no associations with adult ADHD symptom persistence.

CONCLUSION

Initial ADHD symptom severity, parental mental health, and childhood comorbidity affect persistence of ADHD symptoms into adulthood. Addressing these areas early may assist in reducing adult ADHD persistence and functioning problems.

Changing ASD-ADHD symptom co-occurrence across the lifespan with adolescence as crucial time window: Illustrating the need to go beyond childhood

Literature on the co-occurrence between Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is strongly biased by a focus on childhood age. A review of the adolescent and adult literature was made on core and related symptoms of ADHD and ASD. In addition, an empirical approach was used including 17,173 ASD-ADHD symptom ratings from participants aged 0 to 84 years. Results indicate that ASD/ADHD constellations peak during adolescence and are lower in early childhood and old age. We hypothesize that on the border of the expected transition to independent adulthood, ASD and ADHD co-occur most because social adaptation and EF skills matter most. Lower correlations in childhood and older age may be due to more diffuse symptoms reflecting respectively still differentiating and de-differentiating EF functions. We plea for a strong research focus in adolescence which may -after early childhood- be a second crucial time window for catching-up pattern explaining more optimal outcomes. We discuss obstacles and oppportunities of a full lifespan approach into old age.

Stimulant Treatment of Young People in the United States

OBJECTIVE

To describe national stimulant treatment patterns among young people focusing on patient age and prescribing specialty.

METHODS

Stimulant prescriptions to patients aged 3-24 were analyzed from the 2008 IMS LifeLink LRx Longitudinal Prescription database (n = 3,147,352), which includes 60% of all U.S. retail pharmacies. A subset of young people from 2009 with service claims (n = 197,654) were also analyzed. Denominators were adjusted to generalize estimates to the U.S.

POPULATION

Population percentages filling ≥1 stimulant prescription during the study year by sex and age group (younger children, 3-5 years; older children, 6-12 years; adolescents, 13-18 years; and young adults, 19-24 years) were determined. Percentages prescribed stimulants by psychiatrists, child and adolescent psychiatrists, pediatricians, and other physicians were also determined along with percentages that were treated for a long or short duration; coprescribed other psychotropic medications; used psychosocial services; and received clinical psychiatric diagnoses.

RESULTS

Population percentages with any stimulant use varied across younger children (0.4%), older children (4.5%), adolescents (4.0%), and young adults (1.7%). Among children and adolescents, males were over twice as likely as females to receive stimulants. Percentages of stimulant-treated young people with ≥1 stimulant prescription from a child and adolescent psychiatrist varied from younger children (19.1%), older children (17.1%), and adolescents (18.2%) to young adults (10.1%), and these percentages increased among those who were also prescribed other psychotropic medications: young children (31.0%), older children (37.9%), adolescents (35.1%), and young adults (15.8%). Antipsychotics were the most commonly coprescribed class to stimulant-treated younger (15.0%) and older children (11.8%), while antidepressants were most commonly coprescribed to adolescents (17.5%) and young adults (23.9%).

CONCLUSIONS

Stimulant treatment peaks during middle childhood, especially for boys. For young people treated with stimulants, including younger children, low rates of treatment by child and adolescent psychiatrists highlight difficulties with access to specialty mental health services.

Evaluation of the Persistence, Remission, and Emergence of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Young Adulthood

IMPORTANCE

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is now recognized to occur in adulthood and is associated with a range of negative outcomes. However, less is known about the prospective course of ADHD into adulthood, the risk factors for its persistence, and the possibility of its emergence in young adulthood in nonclinical populations.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate childhood risk factors and young adult functioning of individuals with persistent, remitted, and late-onset young adult ADHD.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

The study sample was the Environmental Risk (E-Risk) Longitudinal Twin Study, a nationally representative birth cohort of 2232 twins born in England and Wales from January 1, 1994, to December 4, 1995. Evaluation of childhood ADHD (ages 5, 7, 10, and 12 years) included prenatal and perinatal factors, clinical characteristics, and aspects of the family environment. Among participants aged 18 years, ADHD symptoms and associated impairment, overall functioning, and other mental health disorders were examined. Data analysis was conducted from February 19 to September 10, 2015.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder according to DSM-IV diagnostic criteria in childhood and DSM-5 diagnostic criteria in young adulthood.

RESULTS

Of 2232 participants in the E-Risk Study, 2040 were included in the present analysis. In total, 247 individuals met diagnostic criteria for childhood ADHD; of these, 54 (21.9%) also met diagnostic criteria for the disorder at age 18 years. Persistence was associated with more symptoms (odds ratio [OR], 1.11 [95% CI, 1.04-1.19]) and lower IQ (OR, 0.98 [95% CI, 0.95-1.00]). At age 18 years, individuals with persistent ADHD had more functional impairment (school/work: OR, 3.30 [95% CI, 2.18-5.00], home/with friends: OR, 6.26 [95% CI, 3.07-12.76]), generalized anxiety disorder (OR, 5.19 [95% CI, 2.01-13.38]), conduct disorder (OR, 2.03 [95% CI, 1.03-3.99]), and marijuana dependence (OR, 2.88 [95% CI, 1.07-7.71]) compared with those whose ADHD remitted. Among 166 individuals with adult ADHD, 112 (67.5%) did not meet criteria for ADHD at any assessment in childhood. Results from logistic regressions indicated that individuals with late-onset ADHD showed fewer externalizing problems (OR, 0.93 [95% CI, 0.91-0.96]) and higher IQ (OR, 1.04 [95% CI, 1.02-1.07]) in childhood compared with the persistent group. However, at age 18 years, those with late-onset ADHD demonstrated comparable ADHD symptoms and impairment as well as similarly elevated rates of mental health disorders.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

We identified heterogeneity in the DSM-5 young adult ADHD population such that this group consisted of a large, late-onset ADHD group with no childhood diagnosis, and a smaller group with persistent ADHD. The extent to which childhood-onset and late-onset adult ADHD may reflect different causes has implications for genetic studies and treatment of ADHD.

Adolescent Perceptions of Outgrowing Childhood Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Relationship to Symptoms and Quality of Life

OBJECTIVE

Parental and self-perceptions about outgrowing attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) likely impact treatment decisions; however, little is known about these perceptions. The aim of this study was to assess adolescent and parent perceptions of outgrowing childhood ADHD and evaluate how these perceptions relate to ADHD symptoms and quality of life (QoL).

METHOD

Cross-sectional survey of adolescents (13-18 years) with a childhood diagnosis of ADHD and their parents. Participants were contacted by mail and completed questionnaires about: perceptions of outgrowing ADHD, current ADHD symptoms (the Conners' Scales), and QoL (PedsQL). ANCOVAs were conducted to assess the relationship between the perception of outgrowing ADHD and: (1) current ADHD symptoms and (2) QoL, controlling for co-morbidities and medication use.

RESULTS

115 adolescent-parent dyads were enrolled. Mean age was 15.5 ± 1.7 years, 73% were male, and 63% were taking ADHD medication. Only 16% of adolescents and 9% of parents reported outgrowing ADHD, with little correlation between parent and adolescent responses (kappa 0.3). Adolescents who reported Yes or Don't Know to outgrowing ADHD, compared to those who reported No, had lower scores on the inattention (IA) and hyperactivity (H) scales of both parent report and adolescent self-report Conners' scales and higher scores on the adolescent self-report PedsQL.

CONCLUSION

A majority of adolescents do not endorse outgrowing their ADHD diagnosis, but those that do demonstrate fewer ADHD symptoms and better QoL than those who don't, suggesting that adolescents have insight about their level of impairment and should have a valued role in making treatment decisions.

Analysis of personal and family factors in the persistence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: results of a prospective follow-up study in childhood

OBJECTIVES

To study the course of ADHD during childhood and analyze possible personal and family predictor variables of the results.

METHOD

Sixty-one children with ADHD who were between 6 and 12 years old at the baseline assessment were evaluated 30 months later (mean age at baseline: 8.70 ± 1.97; mean age at follow-up: 10.98 ± 2.19). Status of ADHD in follow-up was identified as persistent (met DSM-IV-TR criteria according to parents' and teachers' ratings), contextually persistent (met ADHD criteria according to one informant, and there was functional impairment) and remitted ADHD (with subthreshold clinical symptomatology). Associated psychological disorders of the three groups were analyzed in the follow-up with the Conners' Rating Scales. The groups were compared on ADHD characteristics (symptoms of ADHD and impairment), child psychopathology, executive functioning (EF; inhibition, working memory) and parenting characteristics (parental stress and discipline styles) at baseline.

RESULTS

At the follow-up, 55.7% of the children continued to meet the DSM-IV-TR criteria for ADHD, 29.5% showed contextual persistence, and 14.8% presented remission of the disorder. The persistent and contextually persistent ADHD groups showed more associated psychological disorders. Inattention, oppositional problems, cognitive problems and impairment at baseline distinguished the remitted ADHD children from the persistent and contextually persistent ADHD children. Moreover, the persistent groups had significantly more emotional liability and higher parental stress than the group in remission, while no differences in EF where found among the groups.

CONCLUSIONS

ADHD children continue to present symptoms, as well as comorbid psychological problems, during adolescence and early adulthood. These findings confirm that persistence of ADHD is associated with child psychopathology, parental stress and impairment in childhood.

The impact of case definition on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder prevalence estimates in community-based samples of school-aged children

OBJECTIVE

To determine the impact of varying attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnostic criteria, including new DSM-5 criteria, on prevalence estimates.

METHOD

Parent and teacher reports identified high- and low-screen children with ADHD from elementary schools in 2 states that produced a diverse overall sample. The parent interview stage included the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children-IV (DISC-IV), and up to 4 additional follow-up interviews. Weighted prevalence estimates, accounting for complex sampling, quantified the impact of varying ADHD criteria using baseline and the final follow-up interview data.

RESULTS

At baseline 1,060 caregivers were interviewed; 656 had at least 1 follow-up interview. Teachers and parents reported 6 or more ADHD symptoms for 20.5% (95% CI = 18.1%-23.2%) and 29.8% (CI = 24.5%-35.6%) of children respectively, with criteria for impairment and onset by age 7 years (DSM-IV) reducing these proportions to 16.3% (CI = 14.7%-18.0%) and 17.5% (CI = 13.3%-22.8%); requiring at least 4 teacher-reported symptoms reduced the parent-reported prevalence to 8.9% (CI = 7.4%-10.6%). Revising age of onset to 12 years per DSM-5 increased the 8.9% estimate to 11.3% (CI = 9.5%-13.3%), with a similar increase seen at follow-up: 8.2% with age 7 onset (CI = 5.9%-11.2%) versus 13.0% (CI = 7.6%-21.4%) with onset by age 12. Reducing the number of symptoms required for those aged 17 and older increased the overall estimate to 13.1% (CI = 7.7%-21.5%).

CONCLUSION

These findings quantify the impact on prevalence estimates of varying case definition criteria for ADHD. Further research of impairment ratings and data from multiple informants is required to better inform clinicians conducting diagnostic assessments. DSM-5 changes in age of onset and number of symptoms required for older adolescents appear to increase prevalence estimates, although the full impact is uncertain due to the age of our sample.