ADHD, Author Interviews, JAMA, Mental Health Research, Pediatrics / 30.05.2013
How Does Stimulant Medication for ADHD in Children Affect Later Substance Use?
MedicalResearch.com eInterview with Kathryn L. Humphreys, M.A., Ed.M.
Clinical Psychology Doctoral Student
UCLA Department of Psychology
1285 Franz Hall, Box 951563
Los Angeles, CA 90095
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Response: Our primary question was to answer whether the use of stimulant medication in the treatment of ADHD was associated with increased or decreased risk for a variety of substance use (ever tried) and substance use disorder (abuse or dependence) outcomes (alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, nicotine, and non-specific drug use).
Prior research from individual studies of children have provided mixed evidence (i.e., some found medication increased later risk, some found medication decreased risk, and still others found no difference in risk). We examined available longitudinal studies (i.e., medication treatment preceded measurement of substance outcome) together using meta-analysis, a technique that aggregates findings from a number of studies, in order to examine this question in a much larger sample of individuals.
Our main finding was that children with ADHD who received medication treatment did not differ in risk for lifetime substance use or abuse or dependence compared to those children with ADHD who did not receive medication treatment.
