Kids with Severe ADHD at Risk for Later Drug ProblemsAugust 18, 2003
Research Summary
Children who have severe attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at greater risk of developing alcohol or other drug problems later in life, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).In fact, the risk was so high that researchers concluded that having a history of ADHD was as important as having a family history of addiction in predicting future alcohol and other drug problems.
Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the State University of New York at Buffalo studied 142 teens who were treated for ADHD at age 5 or earlier. When compared with a control group, the ADHD kids were more likely to report getting drunk and using a variety of illicit drugs other than marijuana. Their use of addictive substances also came at an earlier age.
"Our findings indicate that the presence of ADHD during childhood, the severity of symptoms, and the persistence of the disorder may be risk factors for early substance use and the emergence of substance-abuse disorders during the teen years," the authors wrote.
The research was published in the August issue of the Journal of Abnormal Psychology.
Molina, B., & Pelham, W. (2003) Childhood Predictors of Adolescent Substance Use in a Longitudinal Study of Children With ADHD. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 112(3): 497–507.
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