Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-9pm4c Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-25T11:47:29.036Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Developmental trajectories of ADHD symptoms in a large population-representative longitudinal study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 March 2021

Aja Louise Murray Open the ORCID record for Aja Louise Murray [Opens in a new window] ,
Hildigunnur Anna Hall ,
Lydia Gabriela Speyer ,
Lara Carter ,
Daniel Mirman ,
Arthur Caye  and
Luis Rohde
Aja Louise Murray*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, UK
Hildigunnur Anna Hall
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, UK
Lydia Gabriela Speyer
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, UK
Lara Carter
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, UK
Daniel Mirman
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, UK
Arthur Caye
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Luis Rohde
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
*
Author for correspondence: Aja Louise Murray, E-mail: aja.murray@ed.ac.uk
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background

Previous research has suggested that there is substantial heterogeneity in the developmental trajectories of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. Sometimes, qualitative distinctions between trajectories with different ages of onset and/or patterns of remission are made; however, little is known about the predictors and broader clinical meaningfulness of these candidate ‘developmental subtypes’ of ADHD symptoms.

Methods

We applied latent class growth analysis to data from the UK Millennium Cohort Study (MCS; N = 11 316; ages 3, 5, 7, 11 and 14) to evaluate whether developmental trajectories of ADHD symptoms differing in early life predictors could be identified. Our optimal model included six trajectory groups, labelled unaffected (34.9% of the sample), mildly affected (24.1%), subclinical remitting (12.8%), pre-school onset partially remitting (14.1%), developmentally increasing (7.6%) and pre-school onset persistent (6.4%).

Results

Factors such as gender, conduct problems, cognitive ability, maternal education, premature birth, peer problems and school readiness scores differentiated between specific ADHD symptom trajectories.

Conclusions

Taken together, our findings provide preliminary evidence that distinguishing different trajectories of ADHD symptoms could be clinically informative.

Keywords

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorderdevelopmental trajectorieslatent class growth analysisonsetpersistenceremission
Type
Original Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 52 , Issue 15 , November 2022 , pp. 3590 - 3596
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Agnew-Blais, J. C., Polanczyk, G. V., Danese, A., Wertz, J., Moffitt, T. E., & Arseneault, L. (2020). Are changes in ADHD course reflected in differences in IQ and executive functioning from childhood to young adulthood? Psychological Medicine, 50, 2799–2808.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Asherson, P., & Agnew-Blais, J. (2019). Annual research review: Does late-onset attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder exist? Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 60(4), 333–352.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Asparouhov, T., & Muthén, B. (2014). Auxiliary variables in mixture modeling: Three-step approaches using M plus. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 21(3), 329–341.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bracken, B. A. (2002). School readiness assessment. San Antonia, TX: Psychological Corporation.Google Scholar
Carey, W. B., & McDevitt, S. C. (1978). Revision of the infant temperament questionnaire. Pediatrics, 61(5), 735–739.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Caye, A., Agnew-Blais, J., Arseneault, L., Gonçalves, H., Kieling, C., Langley, K., … Rocha, T. B. (2020). A risk calculator to predict adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: Generation and external validation in three birth cohorts and one clinical sample. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 29, e37, 1–9.Google Scholar
Caye, A., Spadini, A. V., Karam, R. G., Grevet, E. H., Rovaris, D. L., Bau, C. H., … Kieling, C. (2016). Predictors of persistence of ADHD into adulthood: A systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 25(11), 1151–1159.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Eisner, N. L., Murray, A. L., Eisner, M., & Ribeaud, D. (2019). A practical guide to the analysis of non-response and attrition in longitudinal research using a real data example. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 43(1), 24–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elliott, C. D., Smith, P., & McCulloch, K. (1996). British ability scales II. Windsor, UK: NFER-Nelson.Google Scholar
Faraone, S. V., Kunwar, A., Adamson, J., & Biederman, J. (2009). Personality traits among ADHD adults: Implications of late-onset and subthreshold diagnoses. Psychological Medicine, 39(4), 685–693.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Frazier, T. W., Demaree, H. A., & Youngstrom, E. A. (2004). Meta-analysis of intellectual and neuropsychological test performance in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Neuropsychology, 18(3), 543.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Goodman, R. (1997). The strengths and difficulties questionnaire: A research note. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 38(5), 581–586.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lee, P., Niew, W., Yang, H., Chen, V. C., & Lin, K. (2012). A meta-analysis of behavioral parent training for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 33(6), 2040–2049.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Malone, P. S., Van Eck, K., Flory, K., & Lamis, D. A. (2010). A mixture-model approach to linking ADHD to adolescent onset of illicit drug use. Developmental Psychology, 46(6), 1543.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Manfro, A. G., Santoro, M., Polanczyk, G. V., Gadelha, A., Pan, P. M., Bressan, R. A., … Rohde, L. A. (2019). Heterotypic trajectories of dimensional psychopathology across the lifespan: The case of youth-onset attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 60(5), 533–544.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Murray, A. L., Booth, T., Ribeaud, D., & Eisner, M. (2018). Disagreeing about development: An analysis of parent-teacher agreement in ADHD symptom trajectories across the elementary school years. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, e1723.Google ScholarPubMed
Murray, A. L., Booth, T., Eisner, M., Auyeung, B., Murray, G., & Ribeaud, D. (2019). Sex differences in ADHD trajectories across childhood and adolescence. Developmental Science, 22(1), e12721.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Murray, A. L., Booth, T., Auyeung, B., Eisner, M., Ribeaud, D., & Obsuth, I. (2020a). Outcomes of ADHD symptoms in late adolescence: Are developmental subtypes important? Journal of Attention Disorders, 24(1), 113–125.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Murray, A. L., Eisner, M., Obsuth, I., & Ribeaud, D. (2020b). Identifying early markers of ‘late onset’ attention deficit and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms. Journal of Attention Disorders, 24(13), 1796–1806.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nagin, D. S., & Odgers, C. L. (2010). Group-based trajectory modeling in clinical research. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 6, 109–138.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pingault, J.-B., Tremblay, R. E., Vitaro, F., Carbonneau, R., Genolini, C., Falissard, B., & Côté, S. M. (2011). Childhood trajectories of inattention and hyperactivity and prediction of educational attainment in early adulthood: A 16-year longitudinal population-based study. American Journal of Psychiatry, 168(11), 1164–1170.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Reinhardt, M. C., Benetti, L., Victor, M. M., Grevet, E. H., Belmonte-de-Abreu, P., Faraone, S. V., & Rohde, L. A. (2007). Is age-at-onset criterion relevant for the response to methylphenidate in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder? Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 68(7), 1109.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Riglin, L., Collishaw, S., Thapar, A. K., Dalsgaard, S., Langley, K., Smith, G. D., … Thapar, A. (2016). Association of genetic risk variants with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder trajectories in the general population. JAMA Psychiatry, 73(12), 1285–1292.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rubin, D. B. (1976). Inference and missing data. Biometrika, 63(3), 581–592.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rubin, D. B. (2004). Multiple imputation for nonresponse in surveys (Vol. 81). New York: John Wiley & Sons.Google Scholar
Russell, G., Rodgers, L. R., Ukoumunne, O. C., & Ford, T. (2014). Prevalence of parent-reported ASD and ADHD in the UK: Findings from the millennium cohort study. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 44(1), 31–40.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sasser, T. R., Beekman, C. R., & Bierman, K. L. (2015). Preschool executive functions, single-parent status, and school quality predict diverging trajectories of classroom inattention in elementary school. Development and Psychopathology, 27(3), 681–693.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sasser, T. R., Kalvin, C. B., & Bierman, K. L. (2016). Developmental trajectories of clinically significant ADHD symptoms from grade 3 through 12 in a high-risk sample: Predictors and outcomes. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 125(2), 207.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Willoughby, M. T., Gottfredson, N. C., Stifter, C. A., & Investigators, F. L. P. (2017). Observed temperament from ages 6 to 36 months predicts parent-and teacher-reported attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms in first grade. Development and Psychopathology, 29(1), 107–120.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Supplementary material: File

Murray et al. supplementary material

Tables S1-S10

Download Murray et al. supplementary material(File)
File 96.3 KB