Females With ADHD Report More Severe Symptoms Than Males on the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate gender differences in self-reported ADHD symptoms in a group of adults with ADHD and a control group. METHODS: A total of 682 adults with ADHD (49.9% females) and 882 controls (59.2% females) completed the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS), listing the 18 symptoms included in the diagnostic criteria of ADHD. RESULTS: Within the ADHD group, females reported more severe symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity than males. This higher symptom report of females was not found in the control group, where the number of severe inattention symptoms rather was higher in males. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that childhood symptoms of ADHD may have gone unnoticed in girls, emphasizing the need for longitudinal studies of ADHD symptoms across the life span.
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Women with ADHD frequently enter care through mood or anxiety pathways, whereas men are more often referred due to behavioral or substance-related difficulties.
“women frequently enter care through mood or anxiety pathways, whereas men are more often referred due to behavioral or substance-related difficulties [125,126]”
From ADHD in Adulthood: Clinical Presentation, Comorbidities, and Treatment Perspectives (2025) · cites this paper as [125]
Adult women with ADHD frequently report greater emotional lability, irritability, chronic overwhelm, and relational strain.
“Clinical studies show that adult women with ADHD frequently report greater emotional lability, irritability, chronic overwhelm, and relational strain [125].”
From ADHD in Adulthood: Clinical Presentation, Comorbidities, and Treatment Perspectives (2025) · cites this paper as [125]
Delayed identification in women with ADHD is associated with prolonged functional impairment, lower self-esteem, and greater psychiatric comorbidity.
“Delayed identification in women is associated with prolonged functional impairment, lower self-esteem, and greater psychiatric comorbidity [125].”
From ADHD in Adulthood: Clinical Presentation, Comorbidities, and Treatment Perspectives (2025) · cites this paper as [125]
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“Delayed identification in women is associated with prolonged functional impairment, lower self-esteem, and greater psychiatric comorbidity [125].”
Influential
- Authors
- Vildalen, V. U., Brevik, E. J., Haavik, J., & Lundervold, A. J.
- Affiliations
- University of Bergen (NO)
- Haukeland University Hospital (NO)
- Corresponding author
- Lundervold, Astri J.
- Venue
- Journal of Attention Disorders
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2016-07-25
- Volume
- 23
- Issue
- 9
- Pages
- 959-967
- ISSN
- 1087-0547 (ISSN-L)
- 1557-1246
- OpenAlex
- W2482981861
- Cited by
- 47
- References
- 40
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 1
- FWCI
- 1.78
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Attention Disorders (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Universitetet i Bergen
- Haukeland Universitetssjukehus
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Developmental and Educational Neuropsychology
- Keywords
- adult ADHD, gender differences, ADHD symptom severity, inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale, childhood ADHD symptoms
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Child, Cognition, Female, Humans, Impulsive Behavior, Male, Sex Factors, Self Report
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