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ADHD and Exposure to Maltreatment in Children and Youth: a Systematic Review of the Past 10 Years

  • Attention-Deficit Disorder (A Anthony Rostain, Section Editor)
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Abstract

Purpose of the Review

The purpose of the current paper was to review and summarize the literature on ADHD and maltreatment over the past 10 years.

Recent Findings

The majority of research on ADHD and exposure to maltreatment focuses on the high rates of comorbidity, including international studies from Asia, South America, North America, and Europe. Longitudinal studies showed that early exposure to maltreatment is a risk factor for ADHD symptoms later in development; however, this finding was not consistent. There were some preliminary studies on the neurological and genetic mechanisms underlying the link between ADHD and exposure to maltreatment. Finally, ADHD and exposure to maltreatment were found to have an additive effect on clinically salient outcomes (e.g., aggression, suicide attempts).

Summary

Results from the review have direct clinical and future implications, including the need to understand the effect of comorbid ADHD and exposure to maltreatment in treatment studies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. LaMarsh Centre for Child and Youth Research, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Stephanie G. Craig, Bianca C. Bondi & Debra J. Pepler

  2. Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada

    Katherine A. O’Donnell

  3. Child Psychiatry, Cambridge Health Alliance, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Margaret D. Weiss

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Conflict of Interest

Stephanie G. Craig, Bianca C. Bondi, Katherine A. O’Donnell, and Debra J. Pepler declare that they have no conflicts of interest. Dr. Margaret D. Weiss reports non-financial support from Purdue Pharma CA, personal fees and non-financial support from Takeda, personal fees from Tris, personal fees and non-financial support from Global Medical Education, personal fees from Huron Consulting, personal fees and non-financial support from Rhodes, personal fees and non-financial support from MHS, personal fees from Mundipharma, personal fees from Johns Hopkins University Press, personal fees and non-financial support from MHS, non-financial support from Eunethydis, non-financial support from World Federation of ADHD, non-financial support from Israeli Foundation for ADHD, non-financial support from Canadian Attention Deficit Resource Alliance, non-financial support from American Professional Association for ADHD, non-financial support from Purdue Pharma US, personal fees and non-financial support from Cingulate, non-financial support from Children and Adults with ADD, personal fees from Boston Children’s Hospital, personal fees from Tris, outside the submitted work.

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Craig, S.G., Bondi, B.C., O’Donnell, K.A. et al. ADHD and Exposure to Maltreatment in Children and Youth: a Systematic Review of the Past 10 Years. Curr Psychiatry Rep 22, 79 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-020-01193-w

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