Prevalence of ADHD among Black Youth Compared to White, Latino and Asian Youth: A Meta-Analysis

• Published in: Journal of clinical child and adolescent psychology Vol. 53; no. 3; pp. 373 - 388
• Main Authors: Cénat, Jude Mary, Kokou-Kpolou, Cyrille Kossigan, Blais-Rochette, Camille, Morse, Catherine, Vandette, Marie-Pier, Dalexis, Rose Darly, Darius, Wina Paul, Noorishad, Pari-Gole, Labelle, Patrick R, Kogan, Cary S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group 01.05.2024
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescents; African American Children; Asian - psychology; Asian - statistics & numerical data; Asian people; Asians; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - epidemiology; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - ethnology; Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; Black or African American - psychology; Black or African American - statistics & numerical data; Black people; Child; Ethnic groups; Female; Hispanic or Latino - psychology; Hispanic or Latino - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Latin American cultural groups; Male; Meta Analysis; Moderators; Prevalence; Systematic review; Teenagers; White People - psychology; White People - statistics & numerical data
• ISSN: 1537-4416; 1537-4424; 1537-4424
• DOI: 10.1080/15374416.2022.2051524

To systematically review the prevalence of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) among Black children and adolescents compared to White, Latino and Asian children and adolescents. Peer-reviewed articles were identified in seven databases and included if they reported prevalence of ADHD among Black children and adolescents living in a minority context and compared rates to at least one of White, Latino or Asian samples. A total of 7050 articles were retrieved and 155 articles were subjected to full evaluation. Twenty-three studies representing 26 independent samples were included. The pooled sample size was 218,445 ( = 26), = 835,505 ( = 25), = 493,417 ( = 24), and = 66,413 ( = 7) of Black, White, Latino, and Asian participants, respectively. Pooled prevalence rate of ADHD was 15.9% (95%CI 11.6% - 20.7%) among Black children and adolescents, 16.6% (95%CI 11.6% - 22.2%) among Whites, 10.1% (95%CI 6.9% - 13.8%) among Latinos and 12.4% (95%CI 1.4% - 31.8%) among Asians. There was no significant difference in prevalence between ethnic groups, whereas both Black and White children and adolescents had marginally statistically significant higher prevalence than Asians. The results of a meta-regression analysis showed no moderating effects of the type of sample and the year of publication of studies. A significant publication bias was observed, suggesting that other moderators were not identified in the present systematic review. In contrast to the assertion in the DSM-5 that clinical identification among Black children and adolescents is lower than among White children and adolescents, the present meta-analysis suggests similar rates of ADHD among these two groups. The importance of considering cultural appropriateness of assessment tools and processes is emphasized.