The relationship between divorce and children with AD/HD of different subtypes and comorbidity: results from a clinically referred sample

This study investigated the relationship between divorce and thesymptom profile of children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder(AD/HD). The files of 1,201 children from a pediatric practicein Sydney, Australia were used in this study. Children wereaged 6 to 18 years, and were diagnosed with either the inattentiveor combined type of AD/HD. Results show that 213 children hadparents who were divorced. Children with the combined type, andespecially boys with comorbid conduct disorder/oppositional defiantdisorder (CD/ODD) were more common in the divorced group,and children of the inattentive type with comorbid learning disabilitieswere overrepresented in nondivorced families. Results suggestthat divorce is associated with disruptive behavior patterns inchildren with AD/HD. The importance of including marital status asan important correlate in AD/HD treatment outcomes is discussed.