DEVELOPMENT OF ALCOHOL USE AND ABUSE IN ADHD ADOLESCENTS

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Previous follow-up studies of children with ADHD have suggested an increased risk for alcohol abuse relative to children without this disorder. However, these studies have several methodological limitations including small sample sizes and incidental assessment of alcohol and other drug use. Thus, there are large knowledge gaps which adequately describe ADHD risk for alcohol abuse, or the extent to which emergence and development of alcohol abuse is associated with other domains of functioning. By interviewing 500 children who were previously diagnosed with ADHD and for whom a large battery of standardized assessment exists, the present study will address the noted limitations. The study children, who will be interviewed annually for four years, will be in one of three developmental stages: (1) early, (2) middle to late adolescence, and (3) and young adulthood. This cohort sequential design will permit us to evaluate alcohol use, abuse, and its development in ADHD children during different developmental periods of risk. The investigators will also recruit 200 non-ADHD individuals and follow them for the same period. This data set is unique in several ways including a large sample size, a design that will yield both developmental and routine use and abuse data, comprehensive assessments of substance use behavior and the assessment of a range of risk and protective factors. The unique advantages of this study allow the investigators to address the intersection of ADHD and alcohol abuse with much greater scope and precision than previous investigations.