ADHD Questions
ADHD Risk
What social factors contribute to ADHD?
Charles Li, MD
April 20, 2023
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Your family, socioeconomic status, and the country you were born in have all been linked to ADHD risk.
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Other social factors, such as getting enough sleep, exercising, and graduating from high school, have been shown to protect against the adverse effects of ADHD.
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ADHD is commonly underdiagnosed and undertreated. Getting adequately screened and treated for ADHD can potentially improve social outcomes in the long run.
While ADHD is partly driven by genetics, social factors can significantly influence ADHD risk.
According to one study in the United Kingdom, children growing up in a single-parent household had over twice the risk of developing ADHD.
Similarly, children growing up in low-income households also had a significantly higher risk.
Meanwhile, children whose mothers had gone to college had less than half the general population's risk.
These findings highlight your family and household's critical role in ADHD risk.
The association of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with socioeconomic disadvantage: alternative explanations and evidence
ADHD and GDP
Beyond just household factors, the country where you grow up can also influence ADHD risk.
One study found that children in rich countries had a much higher risk of developing ADHD than children in poor countries.
While it is true that those in wealthy countries are more likely to receive mental health care and get properly diagnosed, these particular figures were obtained with standardized interviews, making them more representative of the actual prevalence.
A study of ADHD in different countries found that higher-income countries tended to have more ADHD than lower-income countries.
ADHD and life expectancy
ADHD can also influence social factors in life.
One study found that having ADHD as a child was linked to an eight-year reduction in life expectancy.
Having ADHD that persisted into adulthood was associated with a 13-year reduction in life expectancy.
Hyperactive Child Syndrome and Estimated Life Expectancy at Young
Adult Follow-Up: The Role of ADHD Persistence and Other Potential Predictors
Further analysis of this data showed that social factors mediate these factors.
Much of this reduction was driven by lifestyle factors, such as exercise, sleep, and not smoking.
This finding also suggests that living a healthier lifestyle and improving social welfare can help those with ADHD avoid many of the negative consequences of ADHD.
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These results provide insight into the reasons ELE may be reduced in those with ADHD-C. They also suggest avenues by which ELE could be improved via interventions.
ADHD, marriage, and employment
Another way that ADHD affects social factors is in its link to marriage and employment.
Studies have shown that ADHD can make it harder to maintain relationships and maintain careers.
While many with ADHD have very successful marriages and careers, those with ADHD are generally less likely to stay married and remain employed.
Individuals who were either divorced or unemployed were around twice as likely to have ADHD.
The authors of the study noted that most of those studied, including those who are unemployed or unmarried, were not being treated for ADHD. Proper treatment can potentially help those with ADHD achieve their goals in life.
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One striking implication of the high overall comorbidity is that many people with adult ADHD are in treatment for other mental or substance use disorders but not for ADHD. The 10% of respondents diagnosed with ADHD who had received treatment for adult ADHD is much lower than the rates for anxiety, mood, or substance use disorders