Assessment of age-at-onset criterion for adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

Riglin, Lucy, Blakey, Rachel, Langley, Kate ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2033-2657, Thapar, Ajay ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3689-737X, Agha, Sharifah Shameem ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9541-6786, Davey-Smith, George, Stergiakouli, Evie and Thapar, Anita ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3689-737X 2022. Assessment of age-at-onset criterion for adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. British Journal of Psychiatry 220 (2) , pp. 73-75. 10.1192/bjp.2021.122

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Abstract

To investigate the accuracy of the age-at-onset criterion in those who meet other DSM-5 ADHD criteria (N=138), using a prospective population cohort, we compared four different approaches to asking those at age 25 years when their symptoms started. Receiver Operating Characteristic curves showed variation between the approaches (χ(3)=8.99, p=0.03); all four showed low discrimination against symptoms that had been assessed when they were children (area under the curve 0.57-0.68). Asking adults to recall specific symptoms may be preferable to recalling at what age symptoms started. However limitations to retrospective recall add to debate on the validity of ADHD age-at-onset assessment.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Medicine Psychology MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics (CNGG)
Publisher:	Royal College of Psychiatrists
ISSN:	0007-1250
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	4 August 2021
Date of Acceptance:	22 July 2021
Last Modified:	08 Nov 2023 05:16
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/143166

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