Relationship of attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder symptoms, depressive/anxiety symptoms, and life quality in young men

Abstract

Aim: Attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) continues to be among the most frequently missed of psychiatric diagnoses in adults because its presentation in adulthood so often mimics those of better-known disorders. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between ADHD symptoms, depression/anxiety symptoms, and life quality in young men.

Methods: Nine hundred and twenty-nine draftees into the Taiwanese army completed the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS), the World Health Organization (WHO) Quality of Life-Brief Version, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, the second edition of the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Beck Anxiety Scale. Based on high ASRS scores, a total of 328 adults (35.3%) were identified as having ADHD: 65 (7.0%) with definite ADHD and 263 (28.3%) with probable ADHD.

Results: The 328 subjects in the ADHD group had more severe depressive, anxiety symptoms and daytime sleepiness, and had poorer quality of life than the 601 controls (all P < 0.05).

Conclusions: ADHD should be included in the differential diagnosis for young men presenting with anxiety, depression, daytime sleepiness, and poor quality of life.