Quality of life in older adults with ADHD: links to ADHD symptom levels and executive functioning deficits

Abstract

Purpose and aim: The overall aim of the present study was to examine quality of life in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) patients age !60 years. First, we compared older adults with ADHD to both healthy controls of the same age and younger adults with ADHD. Second, we examined executive functioning as a possible underlying factor for quality of life among older adults with ADHD. Methods: The study included 158 participants in three groups: (1) older adults (60-75 years of age) with ADHD (n ¼ 42), (2) healthy controls of the same age (n ¼ 58), and (3) younger adults (age 18-45 years of age) with ADHD (n ¼ 56). The patients with ADHD were clinically-referred. Quality of life was examined through self-ratings and executive functioning was examined using both self-ratings and tests. Results: Older adults with ADHD differed significantly from controls the same age on all aspects of quality of life, with large effect sizes. However, they showed similar levels of quality of life compared to younger adults with ADHD. The exception was psychological health, for which older adults displayed better quality of life compared to younger adults with ADHD. Executive deficits measured through self-ratings, especially working memory, were related to quality of life, sometimes also beyond the influence of ADHD symptom levels. Conclusions: Older adults with ADHD show serious impairments in quality of life, that are comparable to the levels found for younger adults. Impairments may increase further as these individuals grow older and clinics need to meet the needs of this increasingly larger group of patients. ARTICLE HISTORY

Deterioro Cognitivo y Demencias en Adultos con Trastorno del Espectro Autista.

“…26,60,61 Otras investigaciones señalan que el deterioro cognitivo con que cursan los adultos con TEA, tiende a incrementar su severidad cuando este trastorno del neurodesarrollo concomita con sintomatología neuropsiquiátrica como la depresión y la ansiedad. [62][63][64][65][66] Caselli et al (2018) 59 analizaron el fenotipo del TEA en población adulta y su correlación con el deterioro cognitivo subjetivo. Los hallazgos indican que el deterioro cognitivo subjetivo fue una queja frecuente en los sujetos, y que tras un seguimiento de 10 años un 7.9% del total de evaluados evolucionaron a un deterioro cognitivo patológico, dentro de los cuales 8.9% correspondía a sujetos con características fenotípicas de TEA versus el 7.8% reportado en sujetos sin estas características.…”

Neuropsychological deficits in relation to ADHD symptoms, quality of life, and daily life functioning in young adulthood

“…If neuropsychological deficits are found to be related to daily life functioning beyond the influence of ADHD symptom levels, this may help us better determine which specific mechanisms are related to various outcomes in daily life. When controlling for ADHD symptom levels, self-ratings of inhibition and self-organization/planning have been shown to be related to overall impairment (Barkley & Fischer, 2011), and self-rated executive deficits have been shown to be related to quality of life (Stern et al, 2017;Thorell, Holst, & Sj€ owall, 2019). In addition, a few studies have shown that ADHD patients with executive deficits have more problems in daily life functioning with regard to unemployment, academic achievement, and criminality compared to ADHD patients without these deficits (Holst & Thorell, in press).…”

A Children's Music Therapy to Enhance the Self-Esteem of Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Elementary School

“…ADHD has a negative impact on daily life functions such as impaired academic, occupational, and social functions (Thorell et al, 2019). Children with ADHD experienced academic failure, peer rejection, loss of self-esteem, loss of motivation, and helplessness of learning, unfocused, defiant, destructive, tireless, aimlessly clear, and nosy (Leung, et.al, 1994).…”