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Socioeconomic Associations with ADHD: Findings from a Mediation Analysis

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  • Abigail Emma Russell
  • Tamsin Ford
  • Ginny Russell

Abstract

Background: Children from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds are at greater risk of a range of negative outcomes throughout their life course than their peers; however the specific mechanisms by which socioeconomic status relates to different health outcomes in childhood are as yet unclear. Aims: The current study investigates the relationship between socioeconomic disadvantage in childhood and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and investigates putative mediators of this association in a longitudinal population-based birth cohort in the UK. Methods: Data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children was used (n = 8,132) to explore the relationship between different measures of socioeconomic status at birth-3 years and their association with a diagnosis of ADHD at age 7. A multiple mediation model was utilised to examine factors occurring between these ages that may mediate the association. Results: Financial difficulties, housing tenure, maternal age at birth of child and marital status were significantly associated with an outcome of ADHD, such that families either living in financial difficulty, living in council housing, with younger or single mothers’ were more likely to have a child with a research diagnosis of ADHD at age 7. Financial difficulties was the strongest predictor of ADHD (OR 2.23 95% CI 1.57-3.16). In the multiple mediation model, involvement in parenting at age 6 and presence of adversity at age 2-4 mediated 27.8% of the association. Conclusions: Socioeconomic disadvantage, conceptualised as reported difficulty in affording basic necessities (e.g. heating, food) has both direct and indirect impacts on a child’s risk of ADHD. Lower levels of parent involvement mediates this association, as does presence of adversity; with children exposed to adversity and those with less involved parents being at an increased risk of having ADHD. This study highlights the importance of home and environmental factors as small but important contributors toward the aetiology of ADHD.

Suggested Citation

  • Abigail Emma Russell & Tamsin Ford & Ginny Russell, 2015. "Socioeconomic Associations with ADHD: Findings from a Mediation Analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(6), pages 1-16, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0128248
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0128248
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Simon Burgess & Carol Propper & John A. Rigg, 2004. "The Impact of Low Income on Child Health: Evidence from a Birth Cohort Study," CASE Papers 085, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, LSE.
    2. Reiss, Franziska, 2013. "Socioeconomic inequalities and mental health problems in children and adolescents: A systematic review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 24-31.
    3. Graham, Hilary, 2002. "Building an inter-disciplinary science of health inequalities: the example of lifecourse research," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 55(11), pages 2005-2016, December.
    4. Kvist, Anette Primdal & Nielsen, Helena Skyt & Simonsen, Marianne, 2013. "The importance of children's ADHD for parents' relationship stability and labor supply," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 30-38.
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    2. Sharanpreet Kaur & Paula Morales-Hidalgo & Victoria Arija & Josefa Canals, 2023. "Prenatal Exposure to Air Pollutants and Attentional Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Development in Children: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(8), pages 1-21, April.
    3. Leire Leache & Olast Arrizibita & Marta Gutiérrez-Valencia & Luis Carlos Saiz & Juan Erviti & Julián Librero, 2021. "Incidence of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Diagnoses in Navarre (Spain) from 2003 to 2019," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-12, August.
    4. Xie, Tao & Zhu, Bin & Li, Hao-ran & Xu, Jin-feng & Mao, Ying, 2024. "Educational attainment, income, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A mediation analysis based on two-step Mendelian randomization," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 345(C).
    5. Evelyn Law & Georgios Sideridis & Ghadah Alkhadim & Jenna Snyder & Margaret Sheridan, 2022. "Classifying Young Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Based on Child, Parent, and Family Characteristics: A Cross-Validation Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-13, July.

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