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
. 2024 Jul 1;30(4):259-265.
doi: 10.1097/PRA.0000000000000789.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Systematic Literature Review

Lorenzo Soldati  1 , Marie-Pierre Deiber  2   3 , Pauline Schockaert  1 , John Köhl  1 , Mylène Bolmont  1   3 , Roland Hasler  2   4 , Nader Perroud  2   4   5
Affiliations

Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Systematic Literature Review

Lorenzo Soldati et al. J Psychiatr Pract. .

Abstract

Patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) suffer from inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Clinicians often assume that the specific difficulties associated with ADHD are bound to affect sexual behaviors, and favor risky sexual behaviors, thereby increasing the frequency of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). This review provides an up-to-date synthesis of the literature concerning STDs in patients with ADHD. A systematic review of the literature was performed using the PubMed, PsychInfo, and Embase databases, with STDs as the main outcome measure. Patients with ADHD report more STDs than the general population. Results are limited by the small number of existing studies, as well as the heterogeneity of the outcome measures. Findings from this first systematic review of data on STDs in individuals with ADHD suggest that ADHD affects sexual health and sexual behaviors. Clinicians treating patients with ADHD should explore risky sexual behaviors in their patients and raise awareness about the risk of contracting STDs. Further studies are warranted to better evaluate the risk of contracting an STD in patients with ADHD.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Flowchart of literature search. According to the “Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses” statement (for more information, visit www.prisma-statement.org).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Barkley RA. Major life activity and health outcomes associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. J Clin Psychiatry. 2002;63(suppl 12):10–15. - PubMed
    1. Berry MS, Sweeney MM, Dolan SB, et al. . Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms are associated with greater delay discounting of condom-protected sex and money. Arch Sex Behav. 2021;50:191–204. - PubMed
    1. Hechtman L, Swanson JM, Sibley MH, et al. . Functional adult outcomes 16 years after childhood diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: MTA results. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2016;55:945–952.e2. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sarver DE, McCart MR, Sheidow AJ, et al. . ADHD and risky sexual behavior in adolescents: conduct problems and substance use as mediators of risk. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2014;55:1345–1353. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Salerno J, Darling-Fisher C, Hawkins NM, et al. . Identifying relationships between high-risk sexual behaviors and screening positive for chlamydia and gonorrhea in school-wide screening events. J Sch Health. 2013;83:99–104. - PubMed

Publication types