Accession standards for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a survival analysis of military recruits, 1995-2000.
A retrospective cohort study was conducted to evaluate the Department of Defense practice of allowing some individuals with a history of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to enter military service (waiving for ADHD). Enlisted recruits who entered active duty with a waiver for academic problems related to ADHD were compared with control subjects who did not reveal health problems before entry, in terms of retention, promotion, and mental health-related outcomes. A total of 539 recruits with a history of ADHD were retained at the same rate as 1,617 control subjects, with no differences in promotion rates, comorbid diagnoses, or mental health-related discharges. On the basis of these findings, the Department of Defense medical accession standards have been changed to allow applicants who reveal a history of ADHD but did not require medication to finish high school or to hold a job for at least 1 year the opportunity to enter active duty without going through the current waiver process.
Division of Preventive Medicine, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA.
Margot R
MR
Krauss
Robert K
RK
Russell
Timothy E
TE
Powers
Yuanzhang
Y
Li
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D010560:Personnel Selection / Q000592:standards*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014481:United States