Sex Differences in ADHD: Conference Summary

Overview

Journal J Abnorm Child Psychol

Publisher Springer

Date 1996 Oct 1

PMID 8956084

Citations 57

Authors

L E Arnold

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Clinical samples of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been dominated by males. Consequently, female manifestations and sex differences have been relatively neglected in the extensive ADHD research. Because ADHD is so common (3% to 5% of school children) and chronic (lifelong in many cases), even a small proportion of females multiplied by such a large base means hundreds of thousands of girls and women with ADHD, a significant public health problem. An NIMH conference concluded that research is needed not only on sex differences related to ADHD, but also on manifestations of ADHD in females as such. Areas of focus should include differences in life course (sex-differential age effects); effects of hormones; effects of ADHD parenting (in utero and postnatal) on the next generation; response to and implications for design of psychosocial treatment; effects of differential comorbidity; normative "background" sex differences that influence the manifestation of ADHD; differences in development of verbal fluency and social behavior; possible interactions of sex and ethnicity; a prospective study of both sex offspring of ADHD adults; and such methodological issues as appropriate instruments and diagnostic thresholds, power to prevent false negatives, valid impairment measures, validity and reliability of child self-reports, and more inclusive samples (all three subtypes: inattentive, hyperactive-impulsive, and combined).

Citing Articles

The Intelligence Structures of School-Age Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study in China.

Zhu L, Jia F, Cao A, Hao Y, Li F, Liu R Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2025; 20:2651-2661.

PMID: 39748915 PMC: 11694017. DOI: 10.2147/NDT.S489365.

Aggressiveness in Italian Children with ADHD: MAOA Gene Polymorphism Involvement.

Neri L, Marziani B, Sebastiani P, Del Beato T, Colanardi A, Legge M Diseases. 2024; 12(4).

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Criminal convictions in males and females diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A Swedish national registry study.

Angstrom A, Andersson A, Garcia-Argibay M, Chang Z, Lichtenstein P, DOnofrio B JCPP Adv. 2024; 4(1):e12217.

PMID: 38486956 PMC: 10933617. DOI: 10.1002/jcv2.12217.

Possible Association between Methylphenidate and Mandibular Bone Characteristics Detected by Dental Panoramic Radiograph in Children and Adolescents with ADHD.

Kostiner H, Kats L, Kot-Limon N, Dolev E, Blumer S Children (Basel). 2022; 9(9).

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Relationship between sex hormones, reproductive stages and ADHD: a systematic review.

Camara B, Padoin C, Bolea B Arch Womens Ment Health. 2021; 25(1):1-8.

PMID: 34487213 DOI: 10.1007/s00737-021-01181-w.

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