Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) research finds girls are as impaired as boys

Reprinted from University of Canterbury's "Chronicle" - 24/03/06

New research by a University of Canterbury academic has found adolescent girls with ADHD are just as impaired by the disorder as their male counterparts.

Dr Julia Rucklidge (Psychology) said until recently there had been very little research on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in girls, with most studies focusing on ADHD boys, mainly those aged between eight and 12 years. It was also generally believed, until recently, that girls were not as affected by the disorder as boys.

Dr Julia Rucklidge has found girls are just as impaired by Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder as boys. Click here to view a larger version

“However, my study shows that girls are as affected as boys, and by that I mean that their neuropsychological functions ­ memory, processing, inhibition of behaviour ­ are as impaired as boys. Girls are affected as much as boys even though boys are showing a lot more external behaviour.”

Dr Rucklidge’s findings were recently published in the International Journal of Disability, Development and Education. Her report is based on four years studying the gender differences between 114 adolescent girls and boys, aged between 13 and 17 years, with and without ADHD. The participants were each put through a series of neuropsychological tests which looked at cognitive skills, reaction times, information processing, memory, and visual and spatial skills.

“And what I found is that, generally speaking, there aren’t a lot of differences in neuropsychological functioning between the genders,” said Dr Rucklidge.

ADHD is believed to affect about 5% of New Zealanders and is a disorder that affects both children and adults. It is characterised by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. ADHD in girls tends to be characterised by inattentiveness more than hyperactivity or impulsivity, Dr Rucklidge said.

“They tend to be quieter so you don’t see the outbursts of behaviour that ADHD boys tend to present. But at the same time they are struggling internally with focusing on the task at hand. It’s this quietness and lack of disruption that could explain why ADHD has been under-researched in girls.

“But in the end we can’t just assume that what has been found in boys can be applied to girls.”

Dr Rucklidge said research on ADHD in girls had increased in the past two years but that needed to be accompanied by increased awareness of how ADHD can present.

“It’s about being sensitive and more aware of inattention in girls within the classroom setting. It’s asking teachers to be more familiar with how ADHD can present and not make assumptions that ADHD children must be hyperactive because a high percentage are not hyperactive at all.”