Social adversity predicts ADHD-medication in school children--a national cohort study.
OBJECTIVE
To test the hypothesis that psychosocial adversity in the family predicts medicated ADHD in school children.


METHODS
ADHD-medication during 2006 was identified in the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register in national birth cohorts of 1.1 million 6-19 year olds. Logistic regression models adjusted for parental psychiatric disorders were used to test our hypothesis.


RESULTS
There was a clear gradient for ADHD medication with level of maternal education, with an adjusted odds ratio of 2.20 (2.04-2.38) for the lowest compared with the highest level. Lone parenthood and reception of social welfare also implied higher risks of ADHD-medication with adjusted ORs of 1.45 (1.38-1.52) and 2.06 (1.92-2.21) respectively. Low maternal education predicted 33% of cases with medicated ADHD and single parenthood 14%.


CONCLUSIONS
Social adversity in the family predicts a considerable proportion of ADHD-medication in school children in Sweden.
Hjern
A
A
Centre for Epidemiology, National Board of Health and Welfare, Stockholm, Sweden. anders.hjern@socialstyrelsen.se
Weitoft
G R
GR
Lindblad
F
F
D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D011593:Psychology, Social; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors; D020954:Single-Parent Family / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012946:Social Welfare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology