Citation

Nylander E, Floros O, Sparding T, Rydén E, Hansen S, Landén M. Scand. J. Psychol. 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Scandinavian Psychological Associations, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/sjop.12692

PMID

33216369

Abstract

There is a dearth of long-term follow-up studies of adults diagnosed with ADHD. Here, the aim was to evaluate long-term outcomes in a group of ADHD patients diagnosed in adulthood and receiving routine psychiatric health care. Adults diagnosed with any type of ADHD (n = 52) and healthy controls (n = 73) were assessed at baseline and at a 5-year follow-up, using Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), Clinical Global Impression (CGI), Brown ADD Scale (BADDS) and Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS). A multivariate regression method was used to identify factors predicting 5-year outcomes, including baseline ratings, medication intensity, comorbidity, intelligence quotient (IQ), age, and sex. After 5 years, ADHD patients reported fewer and/or less severe symptoms compared to baseline, but remained at clinically significant symptom levels and with functional deficits. Baseline self-reports of ADHD symptoms predicted their own 5-year outcome and low baseline functioning level predicted improved global functioning at follow-up. Factors previously reported to predict short-term outcomes (i.e., medication, comorbidity, IQ, age, and sex) did not anticipate long-term outcomes in present study.

Language: en

Keywords

Adult; prognosis; treatment outcome; attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; follow-up studies