Children with Comorbid ADHD Face More Bullying

Kids diagnosed with both ADHD and a psychiatric disorder are more likely to face bullying, reports a new study on peer victimization.

A team of researchers has found that children with both attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD/ADD) and a comorbid psychiatric diagnosis are subject to more bullying than are children without a comorbid diagnosis. The team looked at a sample of 116 children who had an ADHD diagnosis, culled from a group of 303 subjects who received psycho-educational assessments, and found strong links between peer victimization and parent reports of problems that include anxiety, depression, and social misbehaviors.

Jamie L. Humphrey, Dr. Eric A. Storch, and Dr. Garry R. Geffken, of the department of psychiatry at the University of Florida, in Gainsville, more closely examine these links, in the September 2007 issue of the Journal of Child Health Care.