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ADHD and its associations with pregnancy, birth, developmental and medical-related characteristics

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Abstract

This study aimed to examine possible associations between Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and pregnancy-related, birth-related, developmental, medical, and surgical history characteristics. The sample was derived from a non-referred community sample aged 6 to 14. 91 cases with ADHD and 264 without any psychopathology were compared in terms of psychological and physical problems in pregnancy, mode of delivery, birth complications, developmental stages, injuries, medical and surgical diseases. A semi-structured clinical interview was applied to diagnose the children. ADHD Rating Scale-IV (ADHD-RS-IV) was completed by the parents. Male gender, delay in talking time, and physical injury history predicted increased risks for ADHD. Although having any surgery, and in particular, tonsillectomy did not predict ADHD, inguinal hernia surgery alone predicted an increased risk for ADHD even when controlled for gender. Psychological problems during pregnancy were associated with elevated inattention (IN) and hyperactivity-impulsivity (HI) scores, but not associated with ADHD as a diagnosis. Elevated IN scores but not HI scores were associated with a physical injury history. Although the mode of delivery and physical disease history were not associated with ADHD, asthma increased the likelihood for higher HI scores. The findings have crucial clinical implications that address several points. The findings suggest ADHD may have associations with some negative neurodevelopmental, medical, and surgical history characteristics. The predictivity of inguinal hernia surgery for ADHD might depend on the exposure to general anesthesia at younger ages. Hence, children who had these features should carefully be screened for ADHD.

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The authors acknowledge all the participating children and adolescents and their parents who were involved in the study.

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  1. Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Ege University, University Street No:9, 35100, Izmir, Turkey

    Aslıhan Esra Yüksel

  2. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey

    Nurhak Doğan, Akın Tahıllıoğlu & Eyüp Sabri Ercan

  3. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Manisa Celal Bayar University, Manisa, Turkey

    Öznur Bilaç

  4. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, İstanbul Cemil Taşçıoğlu City Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey

    Taciser Uysal

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  1. Aslıhan Esra Yüksel
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Correspondence to Akın Tahıllıoğlu.

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Eyüp Sabri ERCAN is on the advisory board for Sanofi Turkey. He is also involved in the speaker bureaus of Sanofi Turkey and ARIS. The other authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Yüksel, A.E., Doğan, N., Tahıllıoğlu, A. et al. ADHD and its associations with pregnancy, birth, developmental and medical-related characteristics. Curr Psychol 42, 4705–4718 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01817-1

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