title: Family study of girls with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Because attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is relatively infrequent among girls, little is known about the causes of ADHD in girls. To help fill this gap in the literature, the authors assessed the familial transmission of ADHD in families ascertained through girls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Interviewers who were blind to diagnosis administered structured psychiatric interviews to 140 girls with ADHD and their 417 first-degree relatives and to 122 girls without ADHD and their 369 first-degree relatives.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The relatives of the ADHD girls had a significantly higher prevalence of ADHD, according to either the DSM-III-R or DSM-IV definition, than the relatives of the comparison girls. However, this did not differ from the prevalence the authors reported previously for families of boys with ADHD. Like the boys' families, the relatives of the girl probands also had significantly higher prevalences of antisocial, mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders, although the prevalence of familial antisocial disorders was lower than had been observed in the boys' families. There was no association between the DSM-IV subtypes of the probands and relatives.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The familial transmission of ADHD and comorbid disorders generalizes to families of girls with ADHD. Neither proband gender nor subtype influences the familial transmission of ADHD.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Psychopharmacology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston 02114, USA. faraone@mediaone.net
authors.forename: S V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Faraone
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Biederman
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mick
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Williamson
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wilens
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Spencer
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jetton
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kraus
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pert
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zallen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015897:Comorbidity; D019955:Conduct Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors