Gender Differences in Parent-Reported Cases of ADHD

A new report by federal government researchers published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry finds that in 2011, 11 percent of Americans ages 4 to 17 were reported by their parents to have had attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The percentage of children in this age group who were reported to have had ADHD increased from 7.8 percent in 2003 and 9.5 percent in 2007.

There are major gender differences in diagnosis of ADHD. In 2011, 6.7 percent of girls ages 4 to 17 were reported to have had ADHD, compared to 15.1 percent of boys in the age group. Thus, boys are 2.3 times as likely as girls to have been diagnosed with ADHD. The percentage of girls diagnosed with ADHD increased from 4.4 percent in 2003 and 5.6 percent in 2007.

The authors state that the number of children with ADHD may be increasing but they caution that “the increases could also reflect better detection of underlying ADHD, due to increased health education and awareness efforts.”

The article, “Trends in the Parent-Report of Health Care Provider-Diagnosed and Medicated Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: United States, 2003–2011,” can be viewed here.