Lack of gender effects on subtype outcomes in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: support for the validity of subtypes

• Published in: European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience Vol. 256; no. 5; pp. 311 - 319
• Main Authors: Grevet, Eugenio H, Bau, Claiton H D, Salgado, Carlos A I, Fischer, Aline G, Kalil, Katiane, Victor, Marcelo M, Garcia, Christiane R, Sousa, Nyvia O, Rohde, Luis A, Belmonte-de-Abreu, Paulo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Springer Nature B.V 01.08.2006
• Subjects: Adult; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - classification; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - physiopathology; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - psychology; Comorbidity; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; Female; Humans; Interviews as Topic; Male; Middle Aged; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Sex Factors
• ISSN: 0940-1334; 1433-8491
• DOI: 10.1007/s00406-006-0639-5

The aim of the present study is to verify if gender modifies the clinical, adaptative and psychological outcomes of adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) subtypes. We evaluated 219 clinically referred adult patients. The interviews followed the DSM-IV criteria,using the K-SADS-E for ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder and SCID-IV for comorbidities. Regression models were used to analyze gender and subtype main effects and interactions in psychiatric outcomes. In the initial sample, 117 patients (53.5%) were of the combined subtype, 88 (40%) were inattentives and 14 (6.5%) hyperactives. There were no significant interactions between gender and subtype in any variable assessed. Men and women did not differ in the relative frequency of each subtype. Patients of the combined subtype in both genders presented a higher severity and increased rates of conduct and ODD disorders than inattentives. The main effects of gender and subtype in this sample are similar to those previously reported in other countries, suggesting the cross-cultural equivalence of the phenotype. The absence of significant interactions between gender and subtype suggests that, at least in clinical-based samples, DSM-IV adult ADHD subtypes present cross-gender validity.