Table 1.
Prospective Studies of ADHD Into Adulthood.
| Sample size |
Age at baseline |
Diagnostic criteria |
Age at follow-up |
Years of follow-up |
ADHD persistence |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Investigators name and year of publication | Location of study | n | M | Baseline | Follow-up | M | M | n | % | Control group |
| Weiss, Hechtman, Milroy, and Perlman (1985) | Montreal (Canada) | 61 children (59% PR) 90% boys | 6-12 years | Not stated | DSM-III | 25.1 years | 15 | Symptomsa 42 66% |
41 children aged 25.2 | |
| Mannuzza Klein, Bessler, Malloy, and Lapadula (1993) | New York (USA) | 91 White boys (88% PR) | 9.3 ± 1.4 year | DSM-II | DSM-III DSM-III-R | 25.1 ± 1.3 years | 16.1 | Full ADHD 7 8% Impairmentb 10 11% |
95 boys aged 25.6 ± 1.6 | |
| Mannuzza, Klein, Bessler, Malloy, and Lapadula (1998) | New York (USA) | 85 White boys (82% PR) | 7.3 years | DSM-II | DSM-III DSM-III-R | 24.1 years | 17.0 year | Full ADHD 3 4% Impairmentb 0 0% |
73 boys 24.1 years (94% PR) | |
| Rasmussen & Gillberg (2000) | Göteborg (Sweden) | 55 children (42% boys) | 7 years | DSM-III | DSM-IV | 22 years | 15 years | 28 | 58% | 46 children (43% boys) |
| Barkley, Fischer, Smallish, and Fletcher (2002) | Wisconsin (USA) | 158 hyperactive children with 87% males (93% PR) | 4-12 years | DSM-III-R | DSM-III-R | 20.8 years | 13.8 years | differences depending on reporting source and definition of disorder C | 81 control (92% males) 90% PR | |
| Biederman et al. (2006) | Boston (USA) | 140 children (80% PR) | 6-18 years | DSM-III-R | DSM-IV | 21.6 years | 10 years | 78 | 70% | 120 (88% PR) |
Note: PR = participation rate at follow-up; DSM-III = Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd ed.); DSM-II = Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (2nd ed.); DSM-III-R = Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd ed., rev.); DSM-IV =Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.)
Weiss et al. (1985) reported persisting core symptoms in adults (restlessness, poor concentration, impulsivity), not persisting full diagnosis.
Mannuzza et al. (1993) used the concept of “probable diagnosis” to define those cases in which not all criteria were met but functional impairment was present.
Barkley et al. (2002) found that parents reported much higher rates of persistence than patients (66% vs. 12%) and demonstrated that the definition of disorder (developmentally appropriate criteria vs. DSM criteria) influenced persistence rates as well.