New research from The Kids Research Institute Australia has revealed that children and youth treated for Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) are more likely to come into contact with the juvenile justice system than their non-ADHD counterparts.
In a population study, published today in The Lancet Psychiatry, it was revealed that both boys and girls with ADHD were more than twice as likely to receive a Community Correction Order and three times more likely to be in detention than kids without ADHD.
Using de-identified linked data from Western Australian population databases, The Kids researchers compared the records of nearly 13,000 non-Aboriginal boys and girls with ADHD, to nearly 30,000 without ADHD.
"By looking at the justice records of young people between the ages of 10 and 21 we were able to examine if there was any link apparent between ADHD and juvenile offending," says lead author Professor Desiree Silva.
Only a small proportion of children, 8% of boys and 1% of girls with ADHD, had a Community Correction Order and even fewer had been in detention (1%) but both these justice encounters were more common than for children without ADHD.
Breaking and Entering was the most common reason for a first justice record and this was also twice as likely in children and youth with ADHD.
"There's no doubt that this study reveals that having a diagnosis of ADHD significantly increases the risk of boys and girls coming into contact with the juvenile justice system," says Professor Silva.
"Our work clearly shows that children with ADHD are more vulnerable, and raises the question of whether early diagnosis and management of children and youth with ADHD may help reduce their over-representation within the juvenile justice system.
"The next step would be to look at what early environmental and education factors may increase the risk of a child being in the juvenile justice system and better management of ADHD may reduce this risk."
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