Alcohol and drug use disorders in adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: Prevalence and associations with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptom severity and emotional dysregulation

Table 1 Demographic characteristics, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder symptom severity, and emotional dysregulation in 585 adult patients diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in a psychiatric clinic specialized in examination and treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

	Men, n = 317	Women, n = 268	All patients, n = 585
Age in years, mean ± SD	36.2 (11.5)	37.5 (11.2)	36.8 (11.4)
Range	18-67	18-69	18-69
Married or cohabitant	143 (45.1)	107 (39.9)	250 (42.7)
Living with children	110 (34.7)	117 (43.7)a	227 (38.8)
Years of education: ≤ 12	172 (54.3)	129 (48.1)	301 (51.5)
13-15	121 (38.2)	108 (40.3)	229 (39.1)
> 15	24 (7.6)	31 (11.6)	55 (9.4)
Work participation	193 (60.9)	149 (55.6)	342 (58.5)
ADHD symptom severity1, mean ± SD	50.4 (9.5)	52.3 (9.5)b	51.4 (9.5)
Inattention, mean ± SD	27.0 (4.6)	27.8 (4.9)a	27.4 (4.7)
Impulsivity-hyperactivity, mean ± SD	23.3 (6.6)	24.7 (6.5)b	24.0 (6.6)
Emotional dysregulation2, mean ± SD	11.0 (5.6)	13.4 (5.3)c	12.1 (5.6)

When others not specified, figures are given as numbers (percentage).

^aP < 0.05.

^bP < 0.01.

^cP < 0.001; women compared with men.

¹Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptom severity was assessed by the Adult ADHD Self Report Scale.

²Emotional dysregulation was assessed by 8 items from the Current Behavior Scale - Self Report questionnaire. SD: Standard deviation.

Table 2 Prevalences of alcohol or drug use disorders in 585 adult patients diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in a psychiatric clinic specialized in examination and treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

	Men, n = 317	Women, n = 268	All patients, n = 585
AUD
- 12-mo	24( 7.6)	7 (2.6)b	31 (5.3)
- Lifetime	47 (14.8)	23 (8.6)a	70 (12.0)
DUD
- 12-mo	55 (17.4)	25 (9.1)b	80 (13.7)
- Lifetime	103 (32.5)	59 (22.0)b	162 (27.7)
AUD or DUD
- 12-mo	67 (21.1)	29 (10.8)b	96 (16.4)
- Lifetime	114 (36.0)	65 (24.3)b	179 (30.6)

^aP < 0.05.

^bP < 0.01; women compared with men (χ²). Figures are given in numbers (percentage). AUS: Alcohol use disorder; DUD: Drug use disorder.

Table 3 Associations between age, gender, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder relevant clinical characteristics, and outcome of lifetime alcohol use disorder in a clinical sample of 585 adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder patients, non-adjusted and adjusted analysis

	Non-adjusted			Adjusted
	OR	95%CI	P value	OR	95%CI	P value
Age, increasing in 10 yr	1.32	1.06-1.64	0.013	1.32	1.05-1,64	0.016
Gender, men vs women	1.94	1.14-3.31	0.015	2.19	1.27-3.77	0.005
Inattentive	1.03	0.98-1.09	0.27	1.01	0.95-1.07	0.82
Hyperactivity- impulsivity	1.05	1.01-1.09	0.027	1.03	0.98-1.08	0.24
Emotional dysregulation	1.05	1.00-1.09	0.06	1.04	0.98-1.10	0.16

CI: Confidence interval; OR: Odds ratio.

Table 4 Associations between age, gender, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder relevant clinical characteristics, and outcome of lifetime drug use disorder in a clinical sample of 585 adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder patients, non-adjusted and adjusted analysis

	Non-adjusted			Adjusted
	OR	95%CI	P value	OR	95%CI	P value
Age, increasing in 10 yr	1.10	0.94-1.29	0.24	1.08	0.92-1.27	0.36
Gender, men vs women	1.71	1.18-2.49	0.005	2.01	1.36-2.97	< 0.001
Inattentive	1.02	0.97-1.05	0.77	0.97	0.93-1.02	0.21
Hyperactivity-impulsivity	1.04	1.02-1.07	0.003	1.04	1.01-1.08	0.021
Emotional dysregulation	1.05	1.01-1.08	0.006	1.05	1.01-1.09	0.019

CI: Confidence interval; OR: Odds ratio.