Study finds ADHD and trauma often go hand in hand
Researchers found that many children with ADHD also face challenges such as poverty, divorce, neighborhood violence and substance abuse among family members. "Our findings suggest that children with ADHD experience significantly higher rates of trauma than those without ADHD," said lead author Nicole M. Brown, MD, MPH, MHS, FAAP. "Providers may focus on ADHD as the primary diagnosis and overlook the possible presence of a trauma history, which may impact treatment." Dr. Brown and her colleagues analyzed data from the 2011 National Survey of Children's Health. They identified 65,680 children ages 6-17 years whose parents answered questions regarding ADHD diagnosis, severity and medication use as well as nine adverse childhood experiences (ACEs): poverty, divorce, death of a parent/guardian, domestic violence, neighborhood violence , substance abuse, incarceration, familial mental illness and discrimination. About 12 percent of the children were diagnosed ...