Skip to content
Research Article Open access CC BY 4.0

Child Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Same-Sex Parent Families in the United States: Prevalence and Comorbidities

D. Paul Sullins

Journal of Advances in Medicine and Medical Research · pp. 987–998 · Published 21 Jan 2015

10.9734/BJMMR/2015/15897

Abstract

Aims: This paper presents the first population data on attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among children raised by same-sex parents with the aims 1) to test whether residence with same-sex parents is associated with higher ADHD prevalence, and 2) to observe and assess any clinically significant aggravators or comorbidities. Methodology: Aggregate data for 1997-2013 from the U.S. National Health Interview Survey yielded a representative sample of children from 207,007 households, including 512 with same-sex parents, permitting inferential comparisons. Results: ADHD was more than twice (OR 2.4, 95% CL 1.6-3.4) as prevalent among children with same-sex parents than in the general population, after controlling for age, sex, ethnicity and parent SES. Comorbidities with general emotional problems and defiance behavior were standard. ADHD risk with same-sex parents was reduced among adopted children (OR 0.54 95% CL .27-1.1), null in the presence of parent psychological distress, and substantially elevated in the presence of stigmatization (OR 7.3 95% CL 1.4-38.1). In same-sex families, children with ADHD were over seven times (OR 7.5 95% CL 1.2-46.8) more likely to suffer stigmatization due to impaired interpersonal coping skills. Conclusion: Diagnostic intake for ADHD should include parent sexual orientation, and treatment programs should include resources to bolster anti-victimization skills, particularly for children with same-sex parents. Results suggest the presence of shared genetic factors for same-sex attraction and ADHD, though more research is needed to confirm.

National health interview survey same-sex parents ADHD attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder stigmatization.

References (26)

  1. 1 Behavioral inhibition, sustained attention, and executive functions: Constructing a unifying theory of ADHD. [DOI]
  2. 2 Psychometric Properties of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire [DOI]
  3. 3 Screening for Serious Mental Illness in the General Population [DOI]
  4. 4 ADHD: Clinical Practice Guideline for the Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Children and Adolescents [DOI]
  5. 5 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) [DOI]
  6. 6 Prevalence of mental disorders, psychological distress, and mental health services use among lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults in the United States. [DOI]
  7. 7 Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Selective Overview [DOI]
  8. 8 Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire as a Dimensional Measure of Child Mental Health [DOI]
  9. 9 Attention Deficit Disorder: A Review of the Past 10 Years [DOI]
  10. 10 Risk of psychiatric disorders among individuals reporting same-sex sexual partners in the National Comorbidity Survey [DOI]
  11. 11 Genetic and environmental influences on sexual orientation and its correlates in an Australian twin sample. [DOI]
  12. 12 What Is the Prevalence of Adult ADHD? Results of a Population Screen of 966 Adults [DOI]
  13. 13 Emotional lability in children and adolescents with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): clinical correlates and familial prevalence [DOI]
  14. 14 Family Structure And Children’s Physical And Mental Health [DOI]
  15. 15 The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ): the Factor Structure and Scale Validation in U.S. Adolescents [DOI]
  16. 16 Sexual orientation of adult sons of gay fathers. [DOI]
  17. 17 Associations between bullying behaviour, psychosomatic complaints, emotional and behavioural problems [DOI]
  18. 18 Common Etiological Factors of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Suicidal Behavior [DOI]
  19. 19 Parents psychopathology of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder [DOI]
  20. 20 Child and familial pathways to academic achievement and behavioral adjustment: A prospective six-year study of children with and without ADHD [DOI]
  21. 21 Interpersonal Coping Among Boys With ADHD [DOI]
  22. 22 Examining the Genetic Contribution to ADHD [DOI]
  23. 23 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders(DSM) [DOI]
  24. 24 Characteristics of Adults With Serious Psychological Distress as Measured by the K6 Scale: United States, 2001-04 [DOI]
  25. 25 Familial Transmission of ADHD and Psychoactive Substance Use Disorders [DOI]
  26. 26 PEP: A Personal Energy Plan [DOI]

Cited by 27

A Population‐Based Comparison of Female and Male Same‐Sex Parent and Different‐Sex Parent Households

Henny M. W. Bos, Lisette Kuyper, Nanette K. Gartrell · Family Process · 2017

Lesbian-Mother Families Formed Through Donor Insemination

Henny Bos, Nanette Gartrell · LGBTQ-Parent Families · 2020

A Review and Critique of Research on Same-Sex Parenting and Adoption

Walter R. Schumm · Psychological Reports · 2016

Are Children Harmed with Same-Sex Parents? The Full Mandiner Interview

Donald Sullins · 2021

Parental illness work across the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder diagnostic journey

Tom Nicholson, Richard Lee · Sociology of Health & Illness · 2024

Same-Sex and Different-Sex Parent Families in Italy: Is Parents' Sexual Orientation Associated with Child Health Outcomes and Parental Dimensions?

Roberto Baiocco, Nicola Carone, Salvatore Ioverno · Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics · 2018

Growing up with Gay Parents: What is the Big Deal?

Richard P. Fitzgibbons · The Linacre Quarterly · 2015

Padri gay. Sfide e risorse di una genitorialità fuori dai ruoli

Federico Ferrari · TERAPIA FAMILIARE · 2017

Growing up with Gay Parents: What is the Big Deal?

Richard P. Fitzgibbons · The Linacre Quarterly · 2016

Navigating Treacherous Waters—One Researcher's 40 Years of Experience with Controversial Scientific Research,

Walter R. Schumm · Comprehensive Psychology · 2015

Showing 13 of 27 known citations — external sources report more than can currently be individually listed.

Related research

Article metrics

Real usage data collected on this platform.

89

Page views

0

PDF downloads

40

Outbound clicks

27

Citations

Views over time

Views by country

Approximate, from request IP at view time — not citizenship or institution. Countries with fewer than 5 views are grouped as "Other".

Traffic sources

Referring site, by host.

Views and downloads exclude known bots/crawlers. Citations combines this platform's own DOI-resolved index with each external source's own reported total — see Cited by above for individually listed citing works. Last refreshed 0 seconds ago.