Abstract

This study was designed to examine the relationship of pubertal changes and sensation seeking (SS) in adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Patients with current or past histories of uncomplicated stimulant medication use for ADHD between the ages of 11 and 15 (13 ± 1.5) were recruited from a Child Psychiatry and a General Pediatric Clinic. SS was measured using the SS Scale for Children. Pubertal development was measured using Tanner staging, free testosterone, and DHEAS. Subjects and their parent were interviewed with the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC). SS total score was correlated with Tanner stage, free testosterone, and DHEAS (p ≤ 0.01). The combined parent and child reports of symptoms of Oppositional Defiant Disorder from the DISC were inversely related to age (p ≤ 0.05). Understanding SS in ADHD adolescents as they move through puberty will aid clinicians in monitoring ADHD adolescents and their trajectory into high-risk behaviors.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-12-2006

Notes/Citation Information

Published in The Scientific World Journal, v 6, 9. 637-642.

Copyright © 2006 Catherine A. Martin et al.

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided that the original work is properly cited.

Reprinted as a book chapter in Adolescent Behavior Research: International Perspectives. Joav Merrick, & Hatim A. Omar, (Eds.). p. 161-166.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.1100/tsw.2006.129

Funding Information

This research was supported by NIDA grants number DA 05312, 1 KO8 DA00333, and NIH grant number M01 RR02602.

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