Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Objective:

This study used a large U.S. population-based dataset to examine associations between childhood attention problems and adolescent substance use, sexual risk behavior, and delinquency.

Methods:

This prospective cohort study used data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (n = 2,716). Bivariate statistics, multivariable logistic regression, and negative binomial models assessed associations between attention problems at age 9 years and subsequent use of cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana, engagement in sex without a condom, and delinquency at age 15 years.

Results:

Nearly one-fifth (18.3%) of adolescents had elevated scores (more than 1 standard deviation above the sample mean) for attention problems at age 9 years. Adolescents with elevated attention problem scores in childhood were more likely than adolescents who did not have elevated scores to have ever smoked an entire cigarette (9% vs. 4%) and ever tried marijuana (24% vs. 20%). Elevated attention problem scores were associated with higher odds of ever having smoked an entire cigarette (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.06, 95% CI [1.39, 3.05], p < .01) and higher delinquent behavior scores (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 1.30, 95% CI [1.11, 1.53], p < .01). In adjusted models, there were no significant associations between elevated attention problem scores and ever having tried marijuana, consumed alcohol, or engaged in unprotected sex.

Conclusions:

This study found that elevated attention problem scores in childhood were associated with higher risk of cigarette smoking and delinquent behaviors in adolescence. Results provide support for screening for attention problems among elementary school-age children and early intervention strategies to prevent health risk behaviors in adolescence.

Keywords

adolescent health risk behaviors childhood attention problems smoking delinquent behaviors ADHD

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Achenbach

Rescorla

(2001). Manual for the ASEBA school-age forms & profiles. University of Vermont Research Centre for Children, Youth and Families.

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.).

Anstey

K. J.

Hofer

S. M.

(2004). Longitudinal designs, methods and analysis in psychiatric research. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 38(3), 93–104. https://doi.org/10.1080/j.1440-1614.2004.01343.x

Barbaresi

W. J.

Colligan

R. C.

Weaver

A. L.

Voigt

R. G.

Killian

J. M.

Katusic

S. K.

(2013). Mortality, ADHD, and psychosocial adversity in adults with childhood ADHD: A prospective study. Pediatrics, 131(4), 637–644. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2012-2354

Bendheim-Thoman Center for Research on Child and Family Wellbeing, Columbia Population Research Center. (2018). User’s guide for the fragile families and child wellbeing study public data, year 15. Retrieved September, 2023 from https://fragilefamilies.princeton.edu/data-and-documentation/public-data-documentation

Bendheim-Thoman Center for Research on Child and Family Wellbeing, Columbia Population Research Center. (2023). Data and documentation. Future of families and child wellbeing study. Retrieved September, 2023 from https://ffcws.princeton.edu/documentation

Biederman

DiSalvo

Vaudreuil

Wozniak

Uchida

Woodworth

K. Y.

Green

Farrell

Faraone

S. V.

(2021). The child behavior checklist can aid in characterizing suspected comorbid psychopathology in clinically referred youth with ADHD. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 138, 477–484. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.04.028

Biederman

Faraone

S. V.

Mick

Monuteaux

M. C.

Silva

J. M.

Snyder

L. E.

Spencer

Wilens

T. E.

(2006). Young adult outcome of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A controlled 10-year follow-up study. Psychological Medicine, 36(2), 167–179. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291705006410

Birdsey

Cornelius

Jamal

Park-Lee

Cooper

M. R.

Wang

Sawdey

M. D.

Cullen

K. A.

Neff

(2023). Tobacco product use among U.S. Middle and High School students: National Youth Tobacco Survey, 2023. MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 72(44), 1173–1182. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7244a1

10.

Casseus

Cooney

J. M.

Wackowski

O. A.

(2022). Tobacco use, dependence, and age of initiation among youths with cognitive disability. Journal of Pediatrics, 247, 102–108.e108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2022.04.049

11.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Parent training in behavior management for ADHD. Retrieved January 21, 2024, from https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/behavior-therapy.html

12.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health. (2023). Smoking & tobacco use: Fast facts and fact sheets. Retrieved January 19, 2024, from https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fast_facts/cigarette-smoking-in-the-us.html

13.

Charach

Yeung

Climans

Lillie

(2011). Childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and future substance use disorders: Comparative meta-analyses. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 50(1), 9–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2010.09.019

14.

Charnigo

Noar

S. M.

Garnett

Crosby

Palmgreen

Zimmerman

R. S.

(2013). Sensation seeking and impulsivity: Combined associations with risky sexual behavior in a large sample of young adults. Journal of Sex Research, 50(5), 480–488. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2011.652264

15.

Chen

M. H.

Hsu

J. W.

Huang

K. L.

Bai

Y. M.

N. Y.

T. P.

C. T.

Lin

W. C.

Tsai

S. J.

Pan

T. L.

Chang

W. H.

Chen

T. J.

(2018). Sexually transmitted infection among adolescents and young adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A nationwide longitudinal study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 57(1), 48–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2017.09.438

16.

Copeland

W. E.

Tong

Gifford

E. J.

Easter

M. M.

Shanahan

Swartz

M. S.

Swanson

J. W.

(2023). Adult criminal outcomes of juvenile justice involvement. Psychological Medicine, 53(8), 3711–3718. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033291722000393

17.

Danielson

M. L.

Bitsko

R. H.

Ghandour

R. M.

Holbrook

J. R.

Kogan

M. D.

Blumberg

S. J.

(2018). Prevalence of parent-reported ADHD diagnosis and associated treatment among U.S. children and adolescents, 2016. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 47(2), 199–212. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2017.1417860

18.

DeLisi

Neppl

T. K.

Lohman

B. J.

Vaughn

M. G.

Shook

J. J.

(2013). Early starters: Which type of criminal onset matters most for delinquent careers? Journal of Criminal Justice, 41(1), 12–17. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2012.10.002

19.

Doshi

J. A.

Hodgkins

Kahle

Sikirica

Cangelosi

M. J.

Setyawan

Erder

M. H.

Neumann

P. J.

(2012). Economic impact of childhood and adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in the United States. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 51(10), 990–1002.e1002. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2012.07.008

20.

Doubeni

C. A.

Reed

Difranza

J. R.

(2010). Early course of nicotine dependence in adolescent smokers. Pediatrics, 125(6), 1127–1133. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2009-0238

21.

Draak

T. H. P.

de Greef

B. T. A.

Faber

C. G.

Merkies

I. S. J.

group

t. P. s.

(2019). The minimum clinically important difference: Which direction to take. European Journal of Neurology, 26(6), 850–855. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/ene.13941

22.

Erskine

H. E.

Norman

R. E.

Ferrari

A. J.

Chan

G. C. K.

Copeland

W. E.

Whiteford

H. A.

Scott

J. G.

(2016). Long-term outcomes of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and conduct disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 55(10), 841–850. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2016.06.016

23.

Faraone

S. V.

Asherson

Banaschewski

Biederman

Buitelaar

J. K.

Ramos-Quiroga

J. A.

Rohde

L. A.

Sonuga-Barke

E. J.

Tannock

Franke

(2015). Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Nature Reviews Disease Primers, 1, Article 15020. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrdp.2015.20

24.

Gentzke

A. S.

Wang

T. W.

Cornelius

Park-Lee

Ren

Sawdey

M. D.

Cullen

K. A.

Loretan

Jamal

Homa

D. M.

(2022). Tobacco product use and associated factors among middle and high school students: National Youth Tobacco Survey, United States, 2021. MMWR: Surveillance Summaries, 71(5), 1–29. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.ss7105a1

25.

Groenman

A. P.

Janssen

T. W. P.

Oosterlaan

(2017). Childhood psychiatric disorders as risk factor for subsequent substance abuse: A meta-analysis. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 56(7), 556–569. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2017.05.004

26.

Groenman

A. P.

Oosterlaan

Rommelse

Franke

Roeyers

Oades

R. D.

Sergeant

J. A.

Buitelaar

J. K.

Faraone

S. V.

(2013). Substance use disorders in adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A 4-year follow-up study. Addiction, 108(8), 1503–1511. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.12188

27.

Huntley

Young

(2014). Alcohol and substance use history among ADHD adults: The relationship with persistent and remitting symptoms, personality, employment, and history of service use. Journal of Attention Disorders, 18(1), 82–90. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054712446171

28.

Jensen

C. M.

Steinhausen

H.-C.

(2015). Comorbid mental disorders in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in a large nationwide study. ADHD Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders, 7(1), 27–38. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12402-014-0142-1

29.

Kofler

M. J.

Larsen

Sarver

D. E.

Tolan

P. H.

(2015). Developmental trajectories of aggression, prosocial behavior, and social-cognitive problem solving in emerging adolescents with clinically elevated attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 124(4), 1027–1042. https://doi.org/10.1037/abn0000103

30.

Lee

S. S.

Humphreys

K. L.

Flory

Liu

Glass

(2011). Prospective association of childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and substance use and abuse/dependence: A meta-analytic review. Clinical Psychology Review, 31(3), 328–341. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2011.01.006

31.

Yan

Yang

(2023). Prevalence and trends in diagnosed ADHD among US children and adolescents, 2017-2022. JAMA Network Open, 6(10), e2336872. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.36872

32.

Lundström

Forsman

Larsson

Kerekes

Serlachius

Långström

Lichtenstein

(2014). Childhood neurodevelopmental disorders and violent criminality: A sibling control study. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 44(11), 2707–2716. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-013-1873-0

33.

McCabe

S. E.

West

B. T.

McCabe

V. V.

(2017). Associations between early onset of e-cigarette use and cigarette smoking and other substance use among US adolescents: A national study. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 20(8), 923–930. https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntx231

34.

Moffitt

T. E.

Houts

Asherson

Belsky

D. W.

Corcoran

D. L.

Hammerle

Harrington

Hogan

Meier

M. H.

Polanczyk

G. V.

Poulton

Ramrakha

Sugden

Williams

Rohde

L. A.

Caspi

(2015). Is adult ADHD a childhood-onset neurodevelopmental disorder? Evidence from a four-decade longitudinal cohort study. American Journal of Psychiatry, 172(10), 967–977. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2015.14101266

35.

Mohr-Jensen

Steinhausen

H. C.

(2016). A meta-analysis and systematic review of the risks associated with childhood attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder on long-term outcome of arrests, convictions, and incarcerations. Clinical Psychology Review, 48, 32–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2016.05.002

36.

Molina

B. S. G.

Howard

A. L.

Swanson

J. M.

Stehli

Mitchell

J. T.

Kennedy

T. M.

Epstein

J. N.

Arnold

L. E.

Hechtman

Vitiello

Hoza

(2018). Substance use through adolescence into early adulthood after childhood-diagnosed ADHD: Findings from the MTA longitudinal study. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, 59(6), 692–702. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12855

37.

Molina

B. S. G.

Hinshaw

S. P.

Eugene Arnold

Swanson

J. M.

Pelham

W. E.

Hechtman

Hoza

Epstein

J. N.

Wigal

Abikoff

H. B.

Greenhill

L. L.

Jensen

P. S.

Wells

K. C.

Vitiello

Gibbons

R. D.

Howard

Houck

P. R.

Hur

Marcus

(2013). Adolescent substance use in the multimodal treatment study of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (MTA) as a function of childhood ADHD, random assignment to childhood treatments, and subsequent medication. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 52(3), 250–263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2012.12.014

38.

Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2023). Healthy people 2030: Objectives and data. Retrieved December 11, 2023, from https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data

39.

Office of the Surgeon General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2017). Preventing tobacco use among youths, surgeon general fact sheet. Retrieved January 8, 2024, from https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/reports-and-publications/tobacco/preventing-youth-tobacco-use-factsheet/index.html

40.

Østergaard

S. D.

Dalsgaard

Faraone

S. V.

Munk-Olsen

Laursen

T. M.

(2017). Teenage parenthood and birth rates for individuals with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A nationwide cohort study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 56(7), 578–584.e573. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2017.05.003

41.

Perou

Bitsko

R. H.

Blumberg

S. J.

Pastor

Ghandour

R. M.

Gfroerer

J. C.

Huang

L. N.

(2013). Mental health surveillance among children–United States, 2005–2011. MMWR Supplements, 62, 1–35.[PubMed: 23302815].

42.

Piquero

A. R.

Farrington

D. P.

Welsh

B. C.

Tremblay

Jennings

W. G.

(2009). Effects of early family/parent training programs on antisocial behavior and delinquency. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 5(2), 83–120. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-009-9072-x

43.

Piquero

A. R.

Hawkins

J. D.

Kazemian

(2012). Criminal career patterns. In Loeber

Farrington

D. P.

(Eds.), From juvenile delinquency to adult crime: Criminal careers, justice policy, and prevention (pp. 14–46). Oxford university press.

44.

Pollak

Dekkers

T. J.

Shoham

Huizenga

H. M.

(2019). Risk-taking behavior in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): A review of potential underlying mechanisms and of interventions. Current Psychiatry Reports, 21(5), 33. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-019-1019-y

45.

Posner

Polanczyk

G. V.

Sonuga-Barke

(2020). Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. The Lancet, 395(10222), 450–462. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(19)33004-1

46.

Regan

Tubman

(2020). Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) subtypes, co-occurring psychiatric symptoms and sexual risk behaviors among adolescents receiving substance abuse treatment. Substance Use and Misuse, 55(1), 119–132. https://doi.org/10.1080/10826084.2019.1657895

47.

Reichman

N. E.

Teitler

J. O.

Garfinkel

McLanahan

S. S.

(2001). Fragile families: Sample and design. Children and Youth Services Review, 23(4), 303–326. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/S0190-7409(01)00141-4

48.

Retz

Ginsberg

Turner

Barra

Retz-Junginger

Larsson

Asherson

(2021). Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), antisociality and delinquent behavior over the lifespan. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 120, 236–248. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.11.025

49.

Sarver

D. E.

McCart

M. R.

Sheidow

A. J.

Letourneau

E. J.

(2014). ADHD and risky sexual behavior in adolescents: Conduct problems and substance use as mediators of risk. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, 55(12), 1345–1353. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12249

50.

Sharapova

Reyes-Guzman

Singh

Phillips

Marynak

K. L.

Agaku

(2020). Age of tobacco use initiation and association with current use and nicotine dependence among US middle and high school students, 2014–2016. Tobacco Control, 29(1), 49. https://doi.org/10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2018-054593

51.

Shen

Shi

Gauthier

(2023a). The economic burden of injuries in children with ADHD in the U.S. from 2011 to 2020. Journal of Attention Disorders, 27(14), 1561–1570. https://doi.org/10.1177/10870547231196328

52.

Shen

Shi

Gauthier

(2023b). A population-based study on injury risk and disparities among children with ADHD. Journal of Attention Disorders, 27(8), 859–866. https://doi.org/10.1177/10870547231158386

53.

Sibley

M. H.

Pelham

W. E.

Molina

B. S. G.

Coxe

Kipp

Gnagy

E. M.

Meinzer

Ross

J. M.

Lahey

B. B.

(2014). The role of early childhood ADHD and subsequent CD in the initiation and escalation of adolescent cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana use. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 123(2), 362–374. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0036585

54.

Silva

Colvin

Glauert

Bower

(2014). Contact with the juvenile justice system in children treated with stimulant medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A population study. The Lancet Psychiatry, 1(4), 278–285. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2215-0366(14)70302-5

55.

Wildsmith

Manlove

Cook

(2018). Dramatic increase in the proportion of births outside of marriage in the United States from 1990 to 2016. Retrieved January, 2024 from https://www.childtrends.org/publications/dramatic-increase-in-percentage-of-births-outside-marriage-among-whites-hispanics-and-women-with-higher-education-levels

56.

Wilens

T. E.

(2011). A sobering fact: ADHD leads to substance abuse. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 50(1), 6–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2010.10.002

57.

Wimberley

Agerbo

Horsdal

H. T.

Ottosen

Brikell

Als

T. D.

Demontis

Børglum

A. D.

Nordentoft

Mors

Werge

Hougaard

Bybjerg-Grauholm

Hansen

M. B.

Mortensen

P. B.

Thapar

Riglin

Langley

Dalsgaard

(2020). Genetic liability to ADHD and substance use disorders in individuals with ADHD. Addiction, 115(7), 1368–1377. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.14910

58.

Wolraich

M. L.

Hagan

J. F.

Jr. Allan

Chan

Davison

Earls

Evans

S. W.

Flinn

S. K.

Froehlich

Frost

Holbrook

J. R.

Lehmann

C. U.

Lessin

H. R.

Okechukwu

Pierce

K. L.

Winner

J. D.

Zurhellen

& Subcommittee on Children and Adolescents With Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder. (2019). Clinical practice guideline for the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents. Pediatrics, 144(4), e20192528. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2019-2528

59.

Young

Moss

Sedgwick

Fridman

Hodgkins

(2015). A meta-analysis of the prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in incarcerated populations. Psychological Medicine, 45(2), 247–258. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033291714000762

60.

Young

Taylor

Gudjonsson

(2016). Childhood predictors of criminal offending: Results from a 19-year longitudinal epidemiological study of boys. Journal of Attention Disorders, 20(3), 206–213. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054712461934

Supplementary Material

Please find the following supplemental material available below.

For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.

For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.

0.00 MB

0.05 MB

Attention Problems in Childhood and Subsequent Health Risk Behaviors in Adolescence

Abstract

Objective:

Methods:

Results:

Conclusions:

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References

Supplementary Material