Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Apr;20(2):112-21.
doi: 10.1017/S1092852914000078. Epub 2014 Feb 26.

Daily life impairments associated with childhood/adolescent attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder as recalled by adults: results from the European Lifetime Impairment Survey

Herve Caci  1 , Philip Asherson  2 , Renato Donfrancesco  3 , Stephen V Faraone  4 , Amaia Hervas  5 , Michael Fitzgerald  6 , Manfred Döpfner  7
Affiliations

Daily life impairments associated with childhood/adolescent attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder as recalled by adults: results from the European Lifetime Impairment Survey

Herve Caci et al. CNS Spectr. 2015 Apr.

Abstract

Introduction: The Lifetime Impairment Survey, conducted in Europe, assessed impairment and symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in childhood, and experiences of ADHD diagnosis and treatment, as recalled by adults.

Methods: Adults with ADHD and without ADHD (control group) were invited to participate in an internet-based survey and report on their childhood experiences. History of ADHD diagnosis was self-reported. Groups were compared using impairment and symptom scales.

Results: Overall, 588 adults with ADHD and 736 without ADHD participated. Mean (standard deviation [SD]) age at diagnosis of ADHD was 20.0 (12.6) years (median 18.0) following consultation with 3.8 (5.1) doctors (median 2) over 44.6 (69.3) months (median 17.0). A total of 64.1% (377/588) of adults with ADHD reported frustration or difficulties during the diagnostic process. The ADHD group had a higher mean (SD) score versus control for general (3.3 [1.2] vs 2.1 [1.2]; p < 0.001) and school impairment (2.8 [0.7] vs 2.3 [0.6]; p < 0.001) but not home impairment (2.1 [0.5] for both groups). Discussion The survey demonstrated that ADHD had a negative impact on all aspects of childhood investigated, as recalled by adults.

Conclusions: These data provide insights into childhood impairments and identify areas for improvement in the management and treatment of ADHD.

Keywords: treatment.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Co-existing conditions in the ADHD group. Most frequent co-existing conditions diagnosed by a doctor or other healthcare professional, as reported by adults with ADHD. Respondents could select multiple conditions.
Figure 2
Figure 2
General impairment. The effect of recalled childhood and adolescent experiences on everyday life, as reported by adults with ADHD (ADHD group) and without ADHD (control group). ADHD, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Impairment at home. Impairment at home as recalled by adults with ADHD and without ADHD (control group). (a) Items with greatest reported differences between groups; (b) items with least reported differences between groups. ADHD, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Polanczyk G, de Lima MS, Horta BL, Biederman J, Rohde LA The worldwide prevalence of ADHD: a systematic review and metaregression analysis. Am J Psychiatry. 2007; 164(6): 942–948. - PubMed
    1. Willcutt EG The prevalence of DSM-IV attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a meta-analytic review. Neurotherapeutics. 2012; 9(3): 490–499. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Buitelaar JK, Barton J, Danckaerts M, et al. A comparison of North American versus non-North American ADHD study populations. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2006; 15(3): 177–181. - PubMed
    1. Dopfner M, Steinhausen HC, Coghill D, et al. Cross-cultural reliability and validity of ADHD assessed by the ADHD Rating Scale in a pan-European study. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2006; 15(Suppl 1): I46–I55. - PubMed
    1. Faraone SV, Mick E Molecular genetics of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2010; 33(1): 159–180. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types