The DOI matches its Crossref record; 68 of the 69 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Prevalence and correlates of adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: meta-analysis
Open accessAbstract
Background: In spite of the growing literature about adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), relatively little is known about the prevalence and correlates of this disorder. Aims: To estimate the prevalence of adult ADHD and to identify its demographic correlates using meta-regression analysis. Method: We used the MEDLINE, PsycLit and EMBASE databases as well as hand-searching to find relevant publications. Results: The pooled prevalence of adult ADHD was 2.5% (95% CI 2.1–3.1). Gender and mean age, interacting with each other, were significantly related to prevalence of ADHD. Metaregression analysis indicated that the proportion of participants with ADHD decreased with age when men and women were equally represented in the sample. Conclusions: Prevalence of ADHD in adults declines with age in the general population. We think, however, that the unclear validity of DSM–IV diagnostic criteria for this condition can lead to reduced prevalence rates by underestimation of the prevalence of adult ADHD.
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“it is unclear whether the prevalence of adult ADHD changes with age.”
From The decreasing prevalence of ADHD across the adult lifespan confirmed (2022) · cites this paper as [7]
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In the citing paper
“When defining adult ADHD with the DSM-IV criteria, EG Willcutt estimated that the pooled prevalence of adult ADHD was 5.0% based on 11 studies published between 1996 and 2011 [15,16].”
From The prevalence of adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A global systematic review and meta-analysis (2021) · cites this paper as [15]
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Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“A meta-analysis of six studies with over 5,300 participants estimated the prevalence of ADHD in adulthood to be 2.5%”
From The World Federation of ADHD International Consensus Statement: 208 Evidence-based conclusions about the disorder (2021) · cites this paper as Simon et al., 2009
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In the citing paper
“compared to childhood ADHD, adult ADHD has received far less research attention”
From The decreasing prevalence of ADHD across the adult lifespan confirmed (2022) · cites this paper as [7]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Furthermore, adult ADHD does rarely occur without other comorbid psychiatric symptoms and most adults with ADHD suffer from additional psychiatric disorders during their lifetime (Simon et al. 2009; de Zwaan et al. 2012).”
From ADHD and associated psychopathology in older adults in a German community sample (2023) · cites this paper as Simon et al. 2009
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“previous systematic reviews and metaanalyses of ADHD prevalence in children, adolescents and young adults (Polanczyk et al., 2007;Thomas et al., 2015;Simon et al., 2009;Polanczyk et al., 2014;Willcutt, 2012), have shown that prevalence estimates are highly heterogeneous mostly due to methodological differences of included studies.”
From Prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis (2020) · cites this paper as Simon et al., 2009
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In the citing paper
“and 2.5 % (95 % CI = 2.1, 3.1) of adults across the world (Simon et al., 2009).”
From Prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis (2020) · cites this paper as Simon et al., 2009
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“These estimates are lower than previously identified pooled prevalence estimates based on validated scales: 2.5 % (95 % CI = 2.1, 3.1) in adults with the mean age of 34, (Simon et al., 2009) and 5.0 % (95 % CI = 4.1, 6.2) in young adults (Willcutt, 2012).”
From Prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis (2020) · cites this paper as Simon et al., 2009
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In the citing paper
“Significant heterogeneity across studies has previously been identified in systematic reviews and meta-analyses of ADHD prevalence in children and adults, mostly due to methodological differences (Polanczyk et al., 2007;Simon et al., 2009;Willcutt, 2012).”
From Prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis (2020) · cites this paper as Simon et al., 2009
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Given the fact that studies that require both a childhood-onset and adult symptoms (persistent adult ADHD) report lower prevalence estimates than those that do not (symptomatic adult ADHD), it is necessary to separately provide prevalence estimates for those two distinct groups.”
From The prevalence of adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A global systematic review and meta-analysis (2021) · cites this paper as [15]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Through a systematic review and meta-analysis of six studies published between 1996 and 2005, V Simon and colleagues estimated that the pooled prevalence of adult ADHD was 2.5%.”
From The prevalence of adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A global systematic review and meta-analysis (2021) · cites this paper as [15]
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In the citing paper
“Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a persistent neurodevelopmental disorder that affects 5% of children and adolescents and 2.5% of adults worldwide.”
From Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (2015) · cites this paper as [9]
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“adult ADHD definitions strongly varying between studies”
From The decreasing prevalence of ADHD across the adult lifespan confirmed (2022) · cites this paper as [7]
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“the findings of Song et al. establish that the decrease in the population prevalence of ADHD that sets in during adolescence continues across adulthood [7,8].”
From The decreasing prevalence of ADHD across the adult lifespan confirmed (2022) · cites this paper as [7]
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In the citing paper
“few large population-based data sets spanning the full adult lifespan available [4-7]”
From The decreasing prevalence of ADHD across the adult lifespan confirmed (2022) · cites this paper as [7]
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“The rate of adult ADHD is lower with around 3% (Fayyad et al. 2007; Kessler et al. 2006; Simon et al. 2009; Song et al. 2021).”
From ADHD and associated psychopathology in older adults in a German community sample (2023) · cites this paper as Simon et al. 2009
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“Another limitation in studies of ADHD in older adults is the use of retrospective reporting of childhood symptoms and recall bias, and a potential underestimation of the prevalence (Simon et al., 2009).”
From Prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis (2020) · cites this paper as Simon et al., 2009
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“As indicated in the previous two systematic reviews of adult ADHD, the definitions of adult ADHD in epidemiological studies varied significantly.”
From The prevalence of adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A global systematic review and meta-analysis (2021) · cites this paper as [15]
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“The general population prevalence of ADHD in adults has been estimated to be 2.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.1-3.1)[14]”
From Adult ADHD and comorbid disorders: clinical implications of a dimensional approach (2017) · cites this paper as [14]
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In the citing paper
“Meta-analysis finds that this association is negative (Simon et al. 2009), a result that we replicate in the WMH surveys despite the fact that the age range of our sample was truncated (18–44)”
From The descriptive epidemiology of DSM-IV adult ADHD in the world health organization world mental health surveys (2017) · cites this paper as Simon et al. 2009
In the citing paper
“The prevalence of ADHD in adults estimated from epidemiological studies is in the range of 2-5% [16-19].”
From European consensus statement on diagnosis and treatment of adult ADHD: The European Network Adult ADHD (2010) · cites this paper as [16]
In the citing paper
“Despite its declining prevalence with age, ADHD symptoms in some affected patients persist into adulthood, affecting ∼2.5% of the adult population (Simon et al., 2009).”
From A positron emission tomography study of nigro-striatal dopaminergic mechanisms underlying attention: implications for ADHD and its treatment (2013) · cites this paper as Simon et al., 2009
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Citations
Cites
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Williams, J. B. W., & First, M. B. (2013) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780199975839.013.104 · Cited by 109,845
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Polanczyk, G., de Lima, M. S., Horta, B. L., Biederman, J., & Rohde, L. A. (2007) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/ajp.2007.164.6.942 · Cited by 5,346
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Kessler, R. C., Adler, L., Barkley, R., Biederman, J., Conners, C. K., Demler, O., Faraone, S. V., Greenhill, L. L., Howes, M. J., Secnik, K., et al. (2006) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/ajp.2006.163.4.716 · Cited by 3,886
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Flagged first, then by citations
1 of the 69 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.
Research works printed but not linked: 2
- Nisbett, 1977, Telling more than we know, Psychol Rev, 74
- 10.1037/0033-2909.121.1.65 · DOI · Paper page
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Sorted by citations
Faraone, S. V., Banaschewski, T., Coghill, D., Zheng, Y., Biederman, J., Bellgrove, M. A., Newcorn, J. H., Gignac, M., Al Saud, N. M., Manor, I., et al. (2021) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.01.022 · Cited by 1,545
“22 A meta-analysis of six studies with over 5300 participants estimated the prevalence of ADHD in adulthood to be 2.5 % (Simon et al., 2009).”
InfluentialAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
Faraone, S. V., Asherson, P., Banaschewski, T., Biederman, J., Buitelaar, J. K., Ramos-Quiroga, J. A., Rohde, L. A., Sonuga-Barke, E. J. S., Tannock, R., & Franke, B. (2015) · Nature Reviews Disease Primers · doi:10.1038/nrdp.2015.20 · Cited by 1,479
Cortese, S., Adamo, N., Del Giovane, C., Mohr-Jensen, C., Hayes, A. J., Carucci, S., Atkinson, L. Z., Tessari, L., Banaschewski, T., Coghill, D., et al. (2018) · The Lancet Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/s2215-0366(18)30269-4 · Cited by 1,402
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Thapar, A., & Cooper, M. (2015) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(15)00238-x · Cited by 1,168
Dopamine: Functions, Signaling, and Association with Neurological Diseases
Klein, M. O., Battagello, D. S., Cardoso, A. R., Hauser, D. N., Bittencourt, J. C., & Correa, R. G. (2019) · Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology · doi:10.1007/s10571-018-0632-3 · Cited by 1,073
Metadata
- Authors
- Simon, V., Czobor, P., Bálint, S., Mészáros, Á., & Bitter, I.
- Affiliations
- Semmelweis University (HU)
- Corresponding author
- Simon, Viktória
- Venue
- British Journal of Psychiatry
- Publisher
- Royal College of Psychiatrists
- Published
- 2009-03
- Volume
- 194
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 204-211
- ISSN
- 0007-1250 (ISSN-L)
- 1472-1465
- OpenAlex
- W2117104588
- Semantic Scholar
- 5b26e8f30b918f7a83a5c24dcc1dd769ad25fdcf
- Cited by
- 1,601
- References
- 69
- Citations by year
- 2026: 80 · 2025: 90 · 2024: 100 · 2023: 122 · 2022: 115 · 2021: 111 · 2020: 138 · 2019: 93 · 2018: 93 · 2017: 116 · 2016: 104 · 2015: 116 · 2014: 103 · 2013: 78 · 2012: 61
- FWCI
- 5.76
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- The British Journal of Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Schizophrenia research and treatment
- Keywords
- adult ADHD, ADHD prevalence, demographic correlates, age differences, gender differences, DSM-IV diagnostic criteria, underestimation of prevalence, general population
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Age Factors, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Regression Analysis, Sex Factors, Prevalence, Young Adult
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