SynthesisPediatric research2023
ADHD symptoms and diagnosis in adult preterms: systematic review, IPD meta-analysis, and register-linkage study.
Synthesis in Pediatric research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 33 citations in OpenAlex.
- Multidisciplinary and neuroimaging findings in preterm born very low birthweight individuals from birth to 28 years of age: A systematic review of a Norwegian prospective cohort study.Paediatric and perinatal epidemiology · 2022Pooled it
- Gestational age at birth and the risk of disability pension in early adulthood: a whole-population register study of people born in Finland in 1987-90.International journal of epidemiology · 2026Article
- Endotracheal Intubation in Early Life and Its Association with Mental Health Disorders from Childhood to Adolescence: A National Longitudinal Cohort Study up to Age 18.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Blood and adipose tissue DNA methylation in adults born preterm with a very low birth weight - a sibling comparison study.Epigenomics · 2026Article
- Narrative review of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric complications associated with prematurity.BMC pediatrics · 2025Review
- Developmental Outcomes at Ages 3-5 among Very-low and Extremely-low-birthweight Children without Major Complications Assessed at 18-24 Months.The Kobe journal of medical sciences · 2025Article
- Health-Related Quality of Life in Japanese Youth Born Extremely Low-Birthweight: Impact of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992) · 2025Article
- The longitudinal effects of neonatal anthropometry on attention problems in males and females.JCPP advances · 2025Article
- Executive functions in adults born small for gestational age at term: a prospective cohort study.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Long-term health outcomes of preterm birth: a narrative review.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2025Review
- Association of premature birth and maternal education level on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children: A meta-analysis.World journal of psychiatry · 2024Article
- Mental Health Outcomes of a National Cohort of Adults Born with Very Low Birthweight.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Article
- Burden of mental, behavioral, and neurodevelopmental disorders in the Finnish most preterm children: a national register study.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2024Article
- A Narrative Review of the Association between Prematurity and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Accompanying Inequities across the Life-Course.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- A Novel Rat Model of ADHD-like Hyperactivity/Impulsivity after Delayed Reward Has Selective Loss of Dopaminergic Neurons in the Right Ventral Tegmental Area.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Article
- Impaired pulmonary function mediates inattention in young adults born extremely preterm.Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992) · 2023Article
- A systematic synthesis of qualitative studies on parents' experiences of participating in early intervention programs with their infant born preterm.Frontiers in psychology · 2023Review
- The early life course-related traits with three psychiatric disorders: A two-sample Mendelian randomization study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Article
- [Birth conditions and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) in adults in the Pelotas (Brazil) birth cohorts of 1982 and 1993].Cadernos de saude publica · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
24 authors at 14 institutions in 6 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThis study examined differences in ADHD symptoms and diagnosis between preterm and term-born adults (≥18 years), and tested if ADHD is related to gestational age, birth weight, multiple births, or neonatal complications in preterm borns.
methods(1) A systematic review compared ADHD symptom self-reports and diagnosis between preterm and term-born adults published in PubMed, Web of Science, and PROQUEST until April 2021; (2) a one-stage Individual Participant Data(IPD) meta-analysis (n = 1385 preterm, n = 1633 term; born 1978-1995) examined differences in self-reported ADHD symptoms[age 18-36 years]; and (3) a population-based register-linkage study of all live births in Finland (01/01/1987-31/12/1998; n = 37538 preterm, n = 691,616 term) examined ADHD diagnosis risk in adulthood (≥18 years) until 31/12/2016.
resultsSystematic review results were conflicting. In the IPD meta-analysis, ADHD symptoms levels were similar across groups (mean z-score difference 0.00;95% confidence interval [95% CI] -0.07, 0.07). Whereas in the register-linkage study, adults born preterm had a higher relative risk (RR) for ADHD diagnosis compared to term controls (RR = 1.26, 95% CI 1.12, 1.41, p < 0.001). Among preterms, as gestation length (RR = 0.93, 95% CI 0.89, 0.97, p < 0.001) and SD birth weight z-score (RR = 0.88, 95% CI 0.80, 0.97, p < 0.001) increased, ADHD risk decreased.
conclusionsWhile preterm adults may not report higher levels of ADHD symptoms, their risk of ADHD diagnosis in adulthood is higher. IMPACT: Preterm-born adults do not self-report higher levels of ADHD symptoms, yet are more likely to receive an ADHD diagnosis in adulthood compared to term-borns. Previous evidence has consisted of limited sample sizes of adults and used different methods with inconsistent findings. This study assessed adult self-reported symptoms across 8 harmonized cohorts and contrasted the findings with diagnosed ADHD in a population-based register-linkage study. Preterm-born adults may not self-report increased ADHD symptoms. However, they have a higher risk of ADHD diagnosis, warranting preventive strategies and interventions to reduce the presentation of more severe ADHD symptomatology in adulthood.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.