Citation

Ostojic D, Miller CJ. J. Atten. Disord. 2014; 20(9): 782-791.

Affiliation

University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada cjmiller@uwindsor.ca.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1087054714535249

PMID

24874346

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This exploratory study investigated how the timing of female pubertal maturation was associated with the symptoms of ADHD in a non-clinical female undergraduate sample (N = 253).

METHOD: Participants (M age = 20.2 ± 1.7 years) completed a set of self-report rating scales examining pubertal onset and ADHD symptoms and related deficits.

RESULTS: Logistic regression analysis indicated that early puberty was associated with elevation in symptoms, including difficulties in attention (odds ratio [OR] = 1.270, p =.019), emotion regulation (OR = 1.070, p =.038), and more risky behavior (OR = 1.035, p =.045). That is, increased symptom endorsement was shown to significantly help classify those who reported having an earlier pubertal onset relative to their peers.

CONCLUSION: Findings highlight the potential role of sex hormones during puberty in explaining the gender differences in prevalence rates of ADHD and symptom profiles.

Language: en