Link Between ADHD, Low Maternal Education, Lone Parents And Welfare Benefits

A major study of more than a million children has found strong links between receiving medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and limited maternal education, single parent families and welfare benefits, according to the June issue of Acta Paediatrica

Swedish experts teamed up to carry out what they believe is the first study of risk factors for ADHD in a national cohort of school children, based on 1.16 million children on the country's Prescribed Drug Register.

Key findings of the Swedish study include:

* Boys were three times more likely to be on ADHD medication than girls, with medication use highest in boys aged between 10 and 15.
* Women who had only received the most basic education were 130 per cent more likely to have a child on ADHD medication than women with university degrees.
* Children were 54 per cent more likely to be on ADHD medication if they came from a single parent family rather than having both parents at home.
* Coming from a family on welfare benefits increased the risk of ADHD medication by 135 per cent when compared with households not claiming benefits.
* There were no statistically significant differences between the effects that socioeconomic factors had on boys or girls in the study.