Abstract
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is often overlooked in adults; moreover, the problem seems to be even more critical in women. In the present, observational screening study, a clinical, particularly adult outpatient population was examined regarding frequency and severity of a likely ADHD, whereby sex differences were of particular interest. 224 participants, 146 men and 78 women, were included. Based on data recorded with the self-rating WHO screening instrument Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1), it was examined how many participants were conspicuous for adult ADHD by exceeding a predefined cutoff value (COV) (COV ≥ 4 for ASRS-6, and ≥12 for ASRS-18). To examine frequency distributions, χ2 tests were conducted. For the inferential statistical comparison of means, t-tests for independent samples or Mann-Whitney U tests were calculated. 34.4% of the sample was screened positive in the ASRS-v1.1 screener short version, ASRS-6, while 17.4% were conspicuous in the symptom checklist, ASRS-18. There were indeed more men screened positive, but the difference in the frequency between the sexes was not statistically significant, indicating a balanced sex ratio. Further, severity of ADHD core symptoms inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity was examined by comparing ASRS-18 symptom subscale scores. In concordance with the hypothesis, men and women did not differ in severity of symptoms. Results indicate that women might be affected by ADHD in a comparable manner as men; this emphasizes the importance for the awareness of ADHD in both sexes in clinical practice.
Highlights
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder of multifactorial genesis that persists in 50–75% of cases into adulthood [1,2,3,4]
There were significantly more participants who did not exceed the cutoff value (COV) in ASRS-6 and ASRS-18 than participants who exceeded the COVs. 34.4% of the participants screened above and 65.6% below the COV of ASRS-6
The percentage of participants who exceeded the COV in ASRS-6 differed from the percentage of those who exceeded the COV in ASRS-18 [χ22(1, N = 224) = 64.17, p < 0.001]
Summary
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder of multifactorial genesis that persists in 50–75% of cases into adulthood [1,2,3,4]. ADHD patients are at a higher risk for delinquency [15]; there is a problem of a higher distractibility in traffic which may lead to a higher involvement in accidents [16, 17]. This raises the question how the disorder can be recognized adequately, since the process of recognizing and diagnosing is apparently hampered considerably by the comorbidity of other psychiatric disorders
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