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The relationship between ADHD and anxiety in boys: Results from a family study

Perrin, Sean LU orcid and Last, Cynthia (1996) In Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 35(8). p.996-998
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Recent studies have found an increased risk for both anxiety disorder and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the adult relatives of children with ADHD in comparison with adult relatives of normal controls. Such findings may account for the high rates of comorbid anxiety found in children with ADHD, and they suggest a relationship between the two disorders. However, additional studies are needed to address this relationship that include both anxiety disorder and normal control groups. METHOD: The first- (n = 239) and second-degree relatives (n = 1,266) of clinically referred boys with ADHD (n = 49), clinically referred boys with anxiety disorder (n = 46), and controls who have never been psychiatrically ill (NPI... (More)
OBJECTIVE: Recent studies have found an increased risk for both anxiety disorder and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the adult relatives of children with ADHD in comparison with adult relatives of normal controls. Such findings may account for the high rates of comorbid anxiety found in children with ADHD, and they suggest a relationship between the two disorders. However, additional studies are needed to address this relationship that include both anxiety disorder and normal control groups. METHOD: The first- (n = 239) and second-degree relatives (n = 1,266) of clinically referred boys with ADHD (n = 49), clinically referred boys with anxiety disorder (n = 46), and controls who have never been psychiatrically ill (NPI controls) (n = 37) were assessed with structured interview and diagnosed according to DSM-III-R criteria. Lifetime rates of ADHD and anxiety disorder were then compared for relatives in the three proband groups. RESULTS: Female relatives of ADHD probands had significantly higher rates of anxiety disorder than female relatives of NPI controls. However, relatives of anxious probands and NPI controls did not differ for ADHD. Furthermore, no evidence of cosegregation of anxiety disorder with ADHD was found in the relatives of probands in the two patient groups. CONCLUSIONS: ADHD and anxiety may share common risk factors but appear to be independently transmitted in families. The high rate of anxiety in female relatives of ADHD probands was comparable with that found in relatives of anxious probands and warrants further investigation. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Anxiety Disorders, Attention Deficit Disorder, Family Members, Genetic Linkage, Human Males, Hyperkinesis
in
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
volume
35
issue
8
pages
996 - 998
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:0029792127
  • pmid:8755795
ISSN
0890-8567
DOI
10.1097/00004583-199608000-00009
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
6d1372a1-4f2c-428c-8c91-adbaaeb4d36e (old id 3736490)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 12:26:32
date last changed
2022-02-18 22:33:10
@article{6d1372a1-4f2c-428c-8c91-adbaaeb4d36e,
  abstract     = {{OBJECTIVE: Recent studies have found an increased risk for both anxiety disorder and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the adult relatives of children with ADHD in comparison with adult relatives of normal controls. Such findings may account for the high rates of comorbid anxiety found in children with ADHD, and they suggest a relationship between the two disorders. However, additional studies are needed to address this relationship that include both anxiety disorder and normal control groups. METHOD: The first- (n = 239) and second-degree relatives (n = 1,266) of clinically referred boys with ADHD (n = 49), clinically referred boys with anxiety disorder (n = 46), and controls who have never been psychiatrically ill (NPI controls) (n = 37) were assessed with structured interview and diagnosed according to DSM-III-R criteria. Lifetime rates of ADHD and anxiety disorder were then compared for relatives in the three proband groups. RESULTS: Female relatives of ADHD probands had significantly higher rates of anxiety disorder than female relatives of NPI controls. However, relatives of anxious probands and NPI controls did not differ for ADHD. Furthermore, no evidence of cosegregation of anxiety disorder with ADHD was found in the relatives of probands in the two patient groups. CONCLUSIONS: ADHD and anxiety may share common risk factors but appear to be independently transmitted in families. The high rate of anxiety in female relatives of ADHD probands was comparable with that found in relatives of anxious probands and warrants further investigation.}},
  author       = {{Perrin, Sean and Last, Cynthia}},
  issn         = {{0890-8567}},
  keywords     = {{Anxiety Disorders; Attention Deficit Disorder; Family Members; Genetic Linkage; Human Males; Hyperkinesis}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{8}},
  pages        = {{996--998}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry}},
  title        = {{The relationship between ADHD and anxiety in boys: Results from a family study}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/2925156/3736491.pdf}},
  doi          = {{10.1097/00004583-199608000-00009}},
  volume       = {{35}},
  year         = {{1996}},
}