ADHD May Lead to Poor Adolescent Adjustment

A recent study concluded that only a small portion of children diagnosed with ADHD become well-adjusted teenagers.

Researchers at the University of California and the University of Chicago recently published a study in which they followed 96 children diagnosed with ADHD for seven or eight years.

Multiple measures of symptoms of ADHD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) and anxiety and depression were taken to assess the children, who ranged in age from four to six at the beginning of study. The participants were also assessed for social skills and preferences.

When emotional, behavioral, and social domains were taken into account together, adolescents with an ADHD diagnosis were significantly less likely to be well-adjusted than their peers without such a diagnosis. Well-adjusted was defined here as scoring above the threshold for mental illness in four of the five categories tested.

The results of the study held true even when ADHD symptoms had improved from childhood to adolescence, suggesting that treatment should focus on other aspects of general well-being once symptoms are controlled.