Low Persistence of Inattention Symptoms From Childhood to Adolescence: A Population-Based Study

Objective: To investigate the persistence of dimensional measures of inattention in a population-based, gender-balanced sample of adolescents with parent reports of inattention from childhood and self-reports of inattention in adolescence. Method: Adolescents, 16-19 years old, completed the Adult ADHD Self Report Scale. Their parents completed the Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham Rating Scale-4th Edition when they were 7-9 and 11-13 years old. Results: More severe inattention in boys than girls in childhood shifted to a female predominance in adolescence. The correlation between reports of inattention in childhood and adolescence was weak, with parent reports explaining only similar to 5% of the variance in the inattention score reported in adolescence. Conclusion: The weak association between inattention in childhood and adolescence is consistent with the emerging challenges associated with being an adolescent, but the impact of shifts in informants, gender and age on symtpom presentations should be investigated in future studies.

Automated summary

This study investigated the persistence of dimensional measures of inattention in a population-based sample of adolescents. The results showed that more severe inattention in boys shifted to a female predominance in adolescence. The weak association between reports of inattention in childhood and adolescence suggests the impact of shifts in informants, gender, and age on symptom presentations.