Table 1.
Demographic and clinical characteristics
| No. (%) | p-valuec | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristic | ADHD (n = 18) | HC (n = 18) | Group comparisons |
| Age, y (SD) | 36.1 (10.7) | 25.9 (3.1) | .001 |
| Female | 6 (33.3) | 7 (38.9) | .73 |
| Right handed | 17 (94.4) | 15 (83.3) | .60 |
| Education | .027 | ||
| ≤ Intermediate certificate | 6 (33.3) | 0 | |
| Higher education entrance qualifications | 6 (33.3) | 9 (50.0) | |
| Higher education degrees | 6 (33.3) | 9 (50.0) | |
| Full- or part-time employment | 9 (50.0) | 15 (83.3) | .075 |
| Married or living with a partner | 8 (44.4) | 12 (66.7) | .32 |
| IDA-R ADHD symptom severity, mean (SD) | 33.6 (7.3) | 7.4 (5.5) | < .001 |
| Inattention | 18.8 (3.1) | 4.8 (3.6) | < .001 |
| Hyperactivity | 7.8 (3.6) | 1.3 (1.8) | < .001 |
| Impulsivity | 6.9 (2.6) | 1.2 (1.8) | < .001 |
| ADHD presentations | |||
| Predominantly inattentive | 7 (38.9) | ||
| Predominantly hyperactive-impulsive | 0 | ||
| Combined presentation | 11 (61.1) | ||
| Current psychopharmacological treatments | |||
| Methylphenidate/Amphetamine | 11 (61.1) | 0 | < .001 |
| Antidepressant | 2 (11.1) | 1 (5.6) | .55 |
| Current comorbid psychiatric disordersa | |||
| Affective disorders | 0 | 0 | |
| Anxiety disorders | 8 (44.4) | 2 (11.1) | .060 |
| Other disorders | 2 (11.1) | 0 | .49 |
| Comorbid psychiatric disorders in remissiona | |||
| Affective disorders | 12 (66.7) | 2 (11.1) | .002 |
| Anxiety disorders | 4 (22.2) | 0 | .10 |
| Other disorders | 1 (5.6) | 1 (5.6) | 1.00 |
| DASS depression score, mean (SD) | 10.1 (1.7) | 8.8 (4.2) | .24 |
| DASS anxiety score, mean (SD) | 10.6 (2.7) | 8.6 (2.5) | .030 |
| WHOQOL quality of life total score, mean (SD)b | 59.6 (11.8) | 80.6 (13.6) | < .001 |
DASS Depression Anxiety Stress Scales, IDA-R Integrated Diagnosis of ADHD in adulthood—Revised, WHOQOL World Health Organization Quality Of Life
aAssessed on the diagnostic short interview for mental disorders [48]. Note that current severe affective disorders were an exclusion criterion for study participation
bTotal score calculated as the mean of the four subscales, transformed to range 0–100, with higher values indicating a higher subjective quality of life
cResults of independent-samples t-tests, respectively chi-squared tests, are reported