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Childhood disorder may predict future substance abuse

Severe attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children may be as great a predictor of future substance use problems as a family history of alcohol and substance abuse, according to an Aug 17, 2003, news release from the National Institutes of Health. Researchers studying the progress of children diagnosed with ADHD as they become teenagers found that individuals who were diagnosed with childhood ADHD reported more alcohol-related problems, greater frequency of drunkenness, and heavier and earlier use of tobacco and other drugs than did their peers. One of the most commonly diagnosed pediatric mental health disorders, ADHD affects 3% to 5% of school-aged children.

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Researchers interviewed 142 teenagers between the ages of 13 and 18 who had received treatment for ADHD an average of five years earlier at the Attention Deficit Disorder Clinic at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh. A control group included 100 teenagers from the same age group who had not been diagnosed with childhood ADHD.

Both groups answered questions about alcohol and substance use; the age at which they first tried a substance; and the type, frequency, and quantity of substances they had used during the past six months. Significantly more of the teenagers diagnosed with ADHD reported instances of drunkenness than those in the control group, and nearly twice as many reported having been drunk more than once during the past six months.

The teenagers diagnosed with ADHD were three times more likely to have used an illegal drug other than marijuana and reported using tobacco and illegal substances at a younger age than their peers who were not diagnosed with ADHD. Approximately 11% of the group diagnosed with ADHD also reported having used two or more illegal drugs more often, compared to 3% of the control group.

The researchers also analyzed differences within the group diagnosed with ADHD, focusing on responses from teenagers who had more severe symptoms of inattention in childhood. The teenagers diagnosed with severe inattention problems were five times more likely than others to use an illegal drug other than alcohol or marijuana at an early age. They also reported more frequent drunkenness and had higher alcohol problem scores and a greater likelihood of substance abuse.

Severe Childhood ADHD May Predict Alcohol, Substance Use Problems in Teen Years (news release, Bethesda, Md: National Institutes of Health, Aug 17, 2003) http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/aug2003/niaaa-17.htm (accessed 18 Aug 2003).

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Childhood disorder may predict future substance abuse

AORN Journal, Nov, 2003

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