ADHD in Children
Visual Abstract
Young Adult Outcome of Hyperactive Children: Adaptive Functioning in Major Life Activities
Hyperactive children as young adults
Russell A Barkley , Mariellen Fischer , Lori Smallish , Kenneth Fletcher
Summarized by:
April 23, 2023
study source
J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry
Feb 2006
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What they studied
Researchers followed hyperactive children into young adulthood to see how they were doing professionally and personally. They compared the results to a group of closely matched control children who were not hyperactive.
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What they found
Those who were hyperactive as children had more difficulties holding jobs and graduating from school. They were also more likely to have children at a young age and had more difficulty maintaining close friendships.
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What this means
ADHD has been associated with more challenges and difficulties later in life. These results suggest potential ways to intervene and improve the lives of those with ADHD and hyperactivity. Educational attainment, closeness, friendships, and avoiding teen pregnancy have all been associated with better adult outcomes.
Young adult outcome of hyperactive children: adaptive functioning in major life activities
Objective
Researchers performed this study to understand how hyperactive kids with ADHD function as adults.
The study recruited 149 kids who were hyperactive at school and followed up with them 13 years later to see how they were doing. They also studied a group of 72 non-hyperactive kids as a comparison group.
At the time, these children were labeled hyperactive. However, today, most, if not nearly all, would likely be considered to have ADHD.
Study Quote
The authors report the adaptive functioning of hyperactive and control children in southeastern Wisconsin (Milwaukee) followed to young adulthood.
Method
The researchers interviewed study subjects on their life and activities. The researchers also obtained ratings from their employers and high schools to determine their performance at school and work. Getting information from other sources on a person's ADHD can be crucial since, often, others see aspects of ourselves that we don’t see. Studies have shown that parents are often better at detecting their children’s ADHD symptoms than their children.
The researchers controlled for age, duration of follow-up, and IQ.
Study Quote
Interviews with participants concerning major life activities were collected between 1992 and 1996 and used along with employer ratings and high school records at the young adult follow-up (mean = 20 years, range 19-25) for this large sample of hyperactive (H; n = 149) and community cont...
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Results
Researchers found that hyperactive children tend to have more challenges at school and work after many years.
They were significantly less likely to have graduated from high school and college than their non-hyperactive peers.
Meanwhile, most had been fired from at least one job, even though they were still pretty young at the time of the study.
Young adult outcome of hyperactive children: adaptive functioning in major life activities
Hyperactive kids also grew up having very different love and social lives.
In general, participants who were hyperactive as children had many more sexual partners as adults. They were also more likely to have children than those without ADHD.
On the other hand, they has fewer close friends.
Young adult outcome of hyperactive children: adaptive functioning in major life activities
Part of this may be due to challenges in keeping and maintaining close friendships, a known effect of ADHD.
Study Quote
The H group had significantly lower educational performance and attainment, with 32% failing to complete high school. H group members had been fired from more jobs and manifested greater employer-rated attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and oppositional defiant disorder symptoms an...
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Conclusions
The results here are consistent with previous studies showing that those with ADHD often have challenges at school and work.
The study also provides new insights into the challenges that ADHD can bring in personal lives. The data in the study suggests that those with ADHD can have more sexual partners, sexually transmitted diseases, and children at a young age. ADHD may also cause more challenges with maintaining close friendships.
Study Quote
These findings corroborate prior research and go further in identifying sexual activity and early parenthood as additional problematic domains of adaptive functioning at adulthood.