Could There Be A Link Between ADHD And Child Sexual Abuse?

New findings published in the journal Child Abuse & Neglect show that adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) may have also been physically or sexually abused during the teenage years.

During the study, researchers found that 34 percent of female participants with ADHD reported having been sexually abused before the age of 18 while 14 percent of women without ADHD reported childhood sexual abuse.

Furthermore, 44 percent of women with ADHD reported childhood physical abuse. In contrast, 21 percent of women without a diagnosis of ADHD reported the same type of abuse.

"These findings suggest there is a silent epidemic of abuse among people and particularly women with ADHD," said co-author Esme Fuller-Thomson, professor and Sandra Rotman Endowed Chair at U of T's Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and the Faculty of Medicine, in a news release.

Researchers also found that more men with ADHD reported sexual abuse or physical abuse during childhood than counterparts who did not have the behavioral health issue.

"It may be that early maltreatment affects neurobiological development," Fuller-Thomson added. "It is also possible that children with ADHD are more vulnerable to abuse."

"The results demonstrate a link between childhood physical and sexual abuse and ADHD for both men and women. Future prospective studies are required to further understand this interesting relationship."

"The questions in the survey did not identify who was abusing the children, it could have been a family member or a non-related adult" concluded study co-author, Danielle Lewis, a graduate student in U of T's Masters of Social Work program. "No matter who is the perpetrator, it is very important that health professionals working with children with ADHD screen them for sexual and physical abuse."