Relative Age Effect in Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder at Various Stages of the Medicalization Process
Abstract
:1. Introduction
1.1. The RAE in ADHD
1.2. Explanations for the RAE in ADHD
1.3. Study Objectives
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Data Collection
2.2. Sample
2.3. Variables
2.3.1. ADHD-Related Outcomes
2.3.2. Academic Struggling
2.3.3. Relative Age Variable
2.3.4. Control Variables
2.4. Study Design and Statistical Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Results Associated with the Medicalization of Immaturity
3.1.1. RAE and Identification of ADHD-Related Behaviors
3.1.2. RAE and Informal ADHD Medicalization
3.1.3. RAE and Formal Medicalization
3.2. RAE and the Double Burden
4. Discussion
4.1. Immaturity Mistaken for ADHD
4.2. The Double Burden Hypothesis
4.3. Strengths and Limitations
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Conflicts of Interest
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Oct. | Nov. | Dec. | Jan. | Feb. | Mar. | Apr. | May | June | July | Aug. | Sept. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | ||
n (%) | |||||||||||||
Month of birth a | 1294 (100) | 104 (8.0) | 100 (7.7) | 118 (9.1) | 106 (8.2) | 81 (6.3) | 105 (8.1) | 100 (7.7) | 97 (7.5) | 126 (9.7) | 117 (9.0) | 128 (9.9) | 112 (8.7) |
Boys | 649 (50.2) | 51 (49.0) | 51 (51.0) | 60 (50.8) | 56 (52.8) | 39 (48.2) | 47 (44.8) | 45 (45.0) | 53 (54.6) | 65 (51.6) | 63 (53.9) | 59 (46.1) | 60 (53.6) |
Cycle K | 216 (16.7) | 19 (18.3) | 18 (18.0) | 23 (19.5) | 15 (14.2) | 9 (11.1) | 15 (14.3) | 19 (19.0) | 23 (23.7) | 20 (15.9) | 19 (16.2) | 18 (14.1) | 18 (16.1) |
Cycle 1 | 306 (23.7) | 23 (22.1) | 25 (25.0) | 32 (27.1) | 30 (28.3) | 23 (28.4) | 24 (22.9) | 19 (19.0) | 20 (20.6) | 30 (23.8) | 36 (30.8) | 20 (15.6) | 24 (21.4) |
Cycle 2 | 399 (30.1) | 39 (37.5) | 33 (33.0) | 35 (29.7) | 24 (22.6) | 23 (28.4) | 31 (29.5) | 37 (37.0) | 22 (22.7) | 37 (29.4) | 36 (30.8) | 50 (39.1) | 32 (28.6) |
Cycle 3 | 373 (28.8) | 23 (22.1) | 24 (24.0) | 28 (23.7) | 37 (34.9) | 26 (32.1) | 35 (33.3) | 25 (25.0) | 32 (33.0) | 39 (31.0) | 26 (22.2) | 40 (31.2) | 38 (33.9) |
Struggling in school | 225 (17.4) | 12 (11.7) | 14 (14.0) | 18 (15.4) | 20 (18.9) | 9 (11.1) | 16 (15.2) | 23 (23.0) | 12 (12.4) | 22 (17.5) | 20 (17.1) | 30 (23.4) | 29 (26.4) |
ADHD diagnosis | 269 (20.8) | 17 (16.5) | 18 (18.0) | 19 (16.1) | 18 (17.0) | 18 (22.2) | 21 (20.0) | 27 (27.0) | 13 (13.4) | 24 (19.1) | 25 (21.4) | 35 (27.3) | 34 (30.9) |
ADHD medication | 248 (19.2) | 16 (15.8) | 16 (16.2) | 18 (15.3) | 17 (16.0) | 16 (19.8) | 20 (19.1) | 26 (26.0) | 12 (12.4) | 22 (17.5) | 23 (19.7) | 30 (23.8) | 32 (29.1) |
ADHD suspicion (parents) | 130 (12.7) b | 6 (7.2) | 9 (11.5) | 13 (13.3) | 10 (11.6) | 7 (11.1) | 14 (17.5) | 8 (11.1) | 13 (15.7) | 12 (12.1) | 11 (12.2) | 15 (16.3) | 12 (16.4) |
ADHD suspicion (teachers) | 216 (20.9) c | 8 (9.3) | 14 (17.1) | 16 (16.2) | 15 (17.7) | 10 (16.4) | 20 (23.5) | 15 (19.2) | 15 (17.6) | 28 (27.5) | 25 (26.0) | 28 (29.2) | 22 (28.6) |
Medication benefit (teachers) | 180 (17.9) d | 6 (7.0) | 10 (12.4) | 13 (13.4) | 9 (10.7) | 10 (16.1) | 15 (17.9) | 13 (17.3) | 13 (16.3) | 27 (27.3) | 21 (22.6) | 27 (29.0) | 16 (22.2) |
Teacher mentioned ADHD | 280 (21.6) | 17 (16.8) | 15 (15.5) | 23 (19.5) | 16 (15.4) | 14 (18.0) | 24 (23.1) | 24 (25.0) | 15 (16.1) | 32 (25.6) | 26 (22.8) | 35 (28.0) | 39 (35.8) |
M (SD) | |||||||||||||
Hyper-inatt behaviors | 2.91 (2.1) | 2.41 (1.8) | 2.78 (2.0) | 2.59 (2.0) | 2.56 (1.8) | 2.62 (2.1) | 3.04 (2.0) | 2.86 (2.0) | 2.63 (2.0) | 3.08 (2.2) | 3.26 (2.1) | 3.27 (2.2) | 3.53 (2.1) |
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Brault, M.-C.; Degroote, E.; Jean, M.; Van Houtte, M. Relative Age Effect in Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder at Various Stages of the Medicalization Process. Children 2022, 9, 889. https://doi.org/10.3390/children9060889
Brault M-C, Degroote E, Jean M, Van Houtte M. Relative Age Effect in Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder at Various Stages of the Medicalization Process. Children. 2022; 9(6):889. https://doi.org/10.3390/children9060889
Chicago/Turabian StyleBrault, Marie-Christine, Emma Degroote, Mireille Jean, and Mieke Van Houtte. 2022. "Relative Age Effect in Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder at Various Stages of the Medicalization Process" Children 9, no. 6: 889. https://doi.org/10.3390/children9060889