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. 2015 Oct 16;21(6):10.18553/jmcp.2015.21.6.486. doi: 10.18553/jmcp.2015.21.6.486

TABLE 3.

Characteristics of Children and Adolescents Who Initiated ADHD Treatment with LAS

Characteristics Overall (N = 39,981) n (%) Polypharmacy (n = 1,560) n (%) Monotherapy (n = 38,421) n (%) P Value
Predisposing Factors
Sex
  Male 28,092 (70.3) 1,139 (73.0) 26,953 (70.2) 0.0154
Age (mean = 10.80 ± 3.06)
  6-12 26,931 (67.4) 940 (60.3) 25,991 (67.6) < 0.0001
  13-16 13,050 (32.6) 620 (39.7) 12,430 (32.4)
Enabling Factors
Health insurance
  Private 37,512 (93.8) 1,456 (93.3) 36,056 (93.8) < 0.0001
  Public 1,205 (3.0) 30 (1.9) 1,175 (3.1)
  Other/unknown 1,264 (3.2) 74 (4.8) 1,190 (3.1)
Region
  East 6,780 (17.0) 327 (21.0) 6,543 (16.8) < 0.0001
  Midwest 19,640 (49.1) 828 (53.1) 18,812 (49.0)
  South 8,913 (22.3) 247 (15.8) 8,666 (22.6)
  West 4,648 (11.6) 158 (10.1) 4,490 (11.6)
Year of entry
  2004 7,949 (19.9) 278 (17.8) 7,671 (19.9) 0.0616
  2005 15,708 (39.3) 648 (41.6) 15,060 (39.2)
  2006 16,324 (40.8) 634 (40.6) 15,690 (40.9)
Season of index prescription
  Winter 10,592 (26.5) 394 (25.3) 10,198 (26.5) < 0.0001
  Spring 7,431 (18.6) 258 (16.5) 7,173 (18.7)
  Summer 7,744 (19.4) 380 (24.4) 7,364 (19.2)
  Autumn 14,214 (35.6) 528 (33.8) 13,686 (35.6)
Physician specialty
  Pediatrician 16,103 (40.3) 223 (14.3) 15,880 (41.3) < 0.0001
  Psychiatrist 4,993 (12.5) 565 (36.2) 4,428 (11.5)
  Other 18,885 (47.2) 772 (49.5) 18,113 (47.2)
Need Factors
Comorbidities
  Depression 5,408 (13.5) 565 (36.2) 4,843 (12.6) < 0.0001
  Anxiety 3,709 (9.3) 345 (22.1) 3,364 (8.8) < 0.0001
  Bipolar disorder 1,223 (3.1) 486 (31.2) 737 (1.9) < 0.0001
  Oppositional conduct disorder 572 (1.4) 78 (5.0) 494 (1.3) < 0.0001
  Obsessive compulsive personality disorder 246 (0.6) 65 (4.2) 181 (0.5) < 0.0001
  Oppositional defiant disorder 3,074 (7.7) 505 (32.4) 2,569 (6.7) < 0.0001
  Conduct disorder 2,959 (7.4) 385 (24.7) 2,574 (6.7) < 0.0001
  Learning disorders 1,706 (4.3) 77 (4.9) 1,629 (4.2) 0.1824
  Psychosis and pervasive developmental disorders 1,471 (3.7) 348 (22.3) 1,123 (2.9) < 0.0001
  Substance abuse and dependence disorders 828 (2.1) 101 (6.5) 727 (1.9) < 0.0001
  Enuresis 1,063 (2.7) 78 (5.0) 985 (2.6) < 0.0001
  Encopresis 282 (0.7) 24 (1.5) 258 (0.7) < 0.0001
  Tics 526 (1.3) 60 (3.9) 466 (1.2) < 0.0001
Comedications
  Nonstimulants 3,127 (7.8) 175 (11.2) 2,952 (7.7) < 0.0001
  Alpha 2-agonists 3,352 (8.4) 440 (28.2) 2,912 (7.6) < 0.0001
  Antidepressants 5,969 (14.9) 736 (47.2) 5,233 (13.6) < 0.0001
  Mood stabilizers 761 (1.9) 222 (14.2) 539 (1.4) < 0.0001
  Sedatives/hypnotics/anxiolytics 5,875 (14.7) 303 (19.4) 5,572 (14.5) < 0.0001
  Miscellaneous 129 (0.3) 33 (2.1) 96 (0.3) < 0.0001
  Recent mental health-related hospitalization 439 (1.1) 158 (10.1) 281 (0.7) < 0.0001

ADHD = attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; LAS = long-acting stimulants.