Journal
JOURNAL OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY
Volume 55, Issue 5, Pages 436-445Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12170
Keywords
longitudinal studies; sociocultural influence; ADHD; social class; child development
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Funding
- ESRC's Secondary Data Analysis Initiative
- National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) for the South West Peninsula
- ESRC [ES/K003356/1] Funding Source: UKRI
- MRC [G108/625] Funding Source: UKRI
- Economic and Social Research Council [ES/G040923/1, ES/K003356/1] Funding Source: researchfish
- Medical Research Council [G108/625] Funding Source: researchfish
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Background Studies throughout Northern Europe, the United States and Australia have found an association between childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and family socioeconomic disadvantage. We report further evidence for the association and review potential causal pathways that might explain the link. Method Secondary analysis of a UK birth cohort (the Millennium Cohort Study, N=19,519) was used to model the association of ADHD with socioeconomic disadvantage and assess evidence for several potential explanatory pathways. The case definition of ADHD was a parent-report of whether ADHD had been identified by a medical doctor or health professional when children were 7years old. Results ADHD was associated with a range of indicators of social and economic disadvantage including poverty, housing tenure, maternal education, income, lone parenthood and younger motherhood. There was no evidence to suggest childhood ADHD was a causal factor of socioeconomic disadvantage: income did not decrease for parents of children with ADHD compared to controls over the 7-year study period. No clinical bias towards labelling ADHD in low SES groups was detected. There was evidence to suggest that parent attachment/family conflict mediated the relationship between ADHD and SES. Conclusion Although genetic and neurological determinants may be the primary predictors of difficulties with activity level and attention, aetiology appears to be influenced by socioeconomic situation.
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