title: The delinquency outcomes of boys with ADHD with and without comorbidity.
abstract: This study examined the association between childhood ADHD and juvenile delinquency by examining data from the Pittsburgh ADHD Longitudinal Study (PALS), a follow-up study of individuals diagnosed with ADHD in childhood (ages 5-12) and recontacted in adolescence and young adulthood for yearly follow-up (age at first follow-up interview M = 17.26, SD = 3.17). Participants were 288 males with childhood ADHD and 209 demographically similar males without ADHD who were recruited into the follow-up study. Delinquency information gathered yearly during the second through eighth follow-up provided a comprehensive history of juvenile delinquency for all participants. Four childhood diagnostic groups [ADHD-only (N = 47), ADHD + ODD (N = 135), ADHD + CD (N = 106), and comparison (N = 209)] were used to examine group differences on delinquency outcomes. Analyses were conducted across three dimensions of delinquency (i.e., severity, age of initiation, and variety). Individuals with childhood ADHD + CD displayed significantly worse delinquency outcomes than the other three groups, across almost all indices of offending. When compared to comparison participants, boys with ADHD-only and ADHD + ODD in childhood displayed earlier ages of delinquency initiation, a greater variety of offending, and higher prevalence of severe delinquency. These findings suggest that although childhood ADHD + CD creates the greatest risk for delinquency, boys with ADHD-only and ADHD + ODD also appear at a higher risk for later offending. The patterns of offending that emerged from the PALS are discussed in the context of the relationship between ADHD, comorbidity, and delinquency.
authors.affiliation: Center for Children and Families, Florida International University, HLSI Room 146, 11200 SW 8th St., Miami, FL 33199, USA. mhsibley@buffalo.edu
authors.forename: Margaret H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Sibley
authors.forename: William E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Pelham
authors.forename: Brooke S G
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Molina
authors.forename: Elizabeth M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Gnagy
authors.forename: Daniel A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Waschbusch
authors.forename: Aparajita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Biswas
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: MacLean
authors.forename: Dara E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Babinski
authors.forename: Kathryn M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Karch
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D019958:Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015897:Comorbidity; D019955:Conduct Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012306:Risk; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires