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A Population-Based Study on Injury Risk and Disparities Among Children With ADHD
Posted on Friday March 24, 2023

Journal of Attention Disorders, Ahead of Print.
Objective:Impaired attention and inhibitory control put children with ADHD at potentially high risk of injury—one of the leading causes of disability in the general pediatric population. Existing research has yet to examine this important health risk using nationally representative samples. This population-based study aimed to address this gap.Methods:National estimates of injury occurrences were generated from 66,236 children in the Medical Expenditures Panel Survey 2010–2019 datasets. Multiple logistic regression models further examined the impact of injury type, age, race/ethnicity, sex, parental education, income, marital and insurance status on injury prevalence.Results:Compared to children without ADHD, those with ADHD have significantly higher injury prevalence (OR = 1.20, 95% CI [1.07, 1.33]) across injury types and most sociodemographic subgroups.Conclusions:Children with ADHD are more likely to experience injury. Future research should investigate mechanisms of injury disparities to inform future preventive efforts.

Adult ADHD Diagnosis, Symptoms of Impulsivity, and Emotional Dysregulation in a Clinical Sample of Outpatients Consulting for a Behavioral Addiction
Posted on Wednesday March 22, 2023

Journal of Attention Disorders, Ahead of Print.
Objective:This study aimed to investigate ADHD in adult outpatients seeking treatment for a behavioral addiction and to identify the specificity of psychopathological features if the behavioral addiction cooccurs with adult ADHD.Method:Sixty-five outpatients consulting for a behavioral addiction were assessed for ADHD (DIVA-5), addictive disorder (alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, gambling, gaming, food, and sex), impulsivity (UPPS-P), and emotion dysregulation (DERS-36).Results:In our sample of outpatients seeking treatment for a behavioral addiction, adult ADHD was independently associated with higher compulsive sexual behavior disorder severity, “sensation seeking,” “positive urgency,” difficulties in “goal-directed behavior,” “impulse control,” and use of “emotion regulation strategies” in the context of intense emotions. A 19% of the sample was diagnosed for adult ADHD.Conclusion:The association of adult ADHD with specific dimensions of impulsivity and emotion dysregulation, pave the way for future clinical and research perspectives.

Prevalence of Personality Disorders in Adults With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Posted on Friday March 17, 2023

Journal of Attention Disorders, Ahead of Print.
Objective:To estimate the prevalence of PDs according to Millon’s evolution-based model among adult ADHD outpatients.Method:Cross-sectional study of consecutive patients referred to an adult ADHD clinic. PDs were evaluated with Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory–III (MCMI-III).Results:One-hundred-eighty-one participants had valid MCMI-III, of whom147 were diagnosed with ADHD. Mean age: 32.97, SD:11.56, females: 74 (50.3%). Among the 147 participants with ADHD, 29 (19.7%) did not meet criteria for any PD, 43 (29.3%) met the criteria for one PD, 34 (23.1%) for two PDs and the rest three or more. Most common PD was Dependent (n = 58) followed by Depressive (n = 45). Inattentive sub-type was associated with dependent PD, while combined type with antisocial, negativistic (passive/aggressive) and sadistic PD.Conclusion:Particular personality profiles were more common with different ADHD subtypes. Given the developmental origins of PD, further research may help identify possible links with childhood difficulties.

A Comparative Study of Prison Inmates With and Without ADHD: Which Neuropsychological and Self-Report Measures are Most Effective in Detecting ADHD Within Correctional Services?
Posted on Friday March 17, 2023

Journal of Attention Disorders, Ahead of Print.
Objective:In this study we aimed to investigate the screening and diagnostic properties of various self-report instruments to identify measures which most effectively detect ADHD in a correctional sample.Method:The sample consisted of 193 male high security prisoners in Sweden. We investigated if measures of ADHD symptoms, executive functioning, impulsivity, estimated IQ and working memory could differentiate participants with ADHD from those with ASPD or no diagnosis.Results:Participants with ADHD obtained significantly higher total scores on all included measures. Although we found that some of the measures were more efficient in differentiating ADHD, mean values were generally elevated in the sample.Conclusion:Results demonstrate the importance of investigating psychometric properties in relevant samples to assure a measurement’s usefulness in different contexts, in this case a correctional setting, where the high influence of unspecific behavioral indicators in these measurements might negatively affect their validity.

ADHD and Psychological Need Fulfillment in College Students
Posted on Thursday March 16, 2023

Journal of Attention Disorders, Ahead of Print.
Objective:Self-determination theory suggests that the satisfaction and frustration of basic psychological needs—autonomy, competence, relatedness—are uniquely associated with overall well-being. Undergraduates with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) experience more academic-related impairment and are less likely to graduate. Thus, well-being is important to understand and aim to improve in these students.Method:Students at four universities (N = 2,197) completed a survey and reported previous diagnoses, ADHD symptoms, and psychological need satisfaction and frustration. Group differences were explored via t-tests; associations were explored via structural equation modeling.Results:The ADHD group reported lower satisfaction and higher frustration across all psychological needs. Inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity were uniquely associated with aspects of need fulfillment beyond the impact of comorbid symptoms. Sex differences emerged such that women with ADHD had the lowest overall need satisfaction.Conclusions:Addressing need fulfillment, both satisfaction and frustration, in interventions with undergraduates with clinical/subclinical levels of ADHD may optimize treatment effectiveness.