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. 2024 Jul;28(9):1299-1319.
doi: 10.1177/10870547241247448. Epub 2024 Apr 23.

The Relationship Between Social Anxiety Disorder and ADHD in Adolescents and Adults: A Systematic Review

Siri Jakobsson Støre  1   2 , Nejra Van Zalk  3 , Wilma Granander Schwartz  4 , Victoria Nilsson  5 , Maria Tillfors  1
Affiliations

The Relationship Between Social Anxiety Disorder and ADHD in Adolescents and Adults: A Systematic Review

Siri Jakobsson Støre et al. J Atten Disord. 2024 Jul.

Abstract

Objective: This review aimed to systematically gather empirical data on the link between social anxiety disorder and ADHD in both clinical and non-clinical populations among adolescents and adults.

Method: Literature searches were conducted in PsycInfo, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, resulting in 1,739 articles. After screening, 41 articles were included. Results were summarized using a narrative approach.

Results: The prevalence of ADHD in adolescents and adults with SAD ranged from 1.1% to 72.3%, while the prevalence of SAD in those with ADHD ranged from 0.04% to 49.5%. Studies indicate that individuals with both SAD and ADHD exhibit greater impairments. All studies were judged to be of weak quality, except for two studies which were rated moderate quality.

Discussion: Individuals with SAD should be screened for ADHD and vice versa, to identify this common comorbidity earlier. Further research is needed to better understand the prevalence of comorbid ADHD and SAD in adolescents.

Keywords: ADHD; SAD; comorbidity; subgroup; systematic review.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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Figure 1.
Flow chart of the selection process.
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