The Natural History of ADHD in a Population-Based Sample

描述（由申请人提供）：关于注意力缺陷/多动障碍（ADHD）的自然史的知识有限，因为大多数后续研究都是在多动的白人男孩的临床样本上进行的。目前尚不清楚这些数据与社区环境中患有多动症的儿童的相关性如何。此外，关于女孩、青少年、非裔美国人或注意力不集中型ADHD儿童的ADHD发展过程的信息很少。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Knowledge about the natural history of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is limited because most follow-up studies have been conducted on clinic samples of hyperactive, white, boys. It is not clear how relevant these data are for children identified with ADHD in community settings. In addition, little information is available about the developmental course of ADHD in girls, adolescents, African-Americans, or children with the Inattentive type of ADHD. The proposed longitudinal follow-up study will describe the natural history of ADHD in a population-based sample of children (448 with ADHD, 444 controls, and 134 borderline ADHD cases.) Between 1998 and 2000, all the elementary school children in a diverse semi-rural North Carolina County were screened for ADHD as part of an epidemiologic study. Teachers completed rating scales and parents were interviewed about their child's symptoms, medical history and life events. The proposed study will re-evaluate these same children eight to ten years later as adolescents using in-person youth interviews, parent telephone interviews, teacher rating scales, and abstracted school records. This information will be used to estimate the persistence and describe the developmental course of ADHD and its types, to estimate the risk of adverse health behaviors (smoking, drug and alcohol abuse, and accidents), to estimate comorbidity and impairment, and to evaluate whether stimulant medication treatment, as it is being administered in this community setting, is associated with improved outcomes. This study will add to current knowledge about the developmental course and public health impact of ADHD in a population based sample that includes previously under-studied populations - i.e., girls, African Americans, and children with the Inattentive Type of ADHD.