1 research outputs found
Genetic liability to ADHD and substance use disorders in individuals with ADHD
Aims
1) To investigate whether genetic liability to attentionâdeficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), indexed by polygenic risk scores for ADHD (PRSâADHD), is associated with substance use disorders (SUD) in individuals with ADHD. 2) To investigate whether other individualâ or familyârelated risk factors for SUD could mediate or confound this association.
Design
Populationâbased cohort study
Setting and participants
ADHD cases in the iPSYCH sample (a Danish caseâcohort sample of genotyped cases with specific mental disorders), born in Denmark between 1981 and 2003 (N = 13â116). Registerâbased information on hospital diagnoses of SUD was available until December 31, 2016.
Measurements
We estimated odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for any SUD as well as for different SUD types (alcohol, cannabis, and other illicit drugs) and severities (use, abuse, and addiction), with effect sizes corresponding to a comparison of the highest PRSâADHD decile to the lowest.
Findings
PRSâADHD were associated with any SUD (OR = 1.30, 95% CI: 1.11â1.51). Estimates were similar across different types and severity levels of SUD. Other risk factors for SUD (male sex, age at ADHD diagnosis, comorbid conduct problems, and parental factors including SUD, mental disorders, and socioâeconomic status) were independently associated with increased risk of SUD. PRSâADHD explained a minor proportion of the variance in SUD (0.2% on the liability scale) compared to the other risk factors. The association between PRSâADHD and any SUD was slightly attenuated (OR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.03â1.41) after adjusting for the other risk factors for SUD. Furthermore, associations were nominally higher in females than in males (ORfemales = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.19â2.12, ORmales = 1.18, 95% CI: 0.98â1.42).
Conclusions
A higher genetic liability to attentionâdeficit/hyperactivity disorder appears to be associated with higher risks of substance use disorders in individuals with attentionâdeficit/hyperactivity disorder