Skip to main content
Journal cover image

Depression and ADHD-Related Risk for Substance Use in Adolescence and Early Adulthood: Concurrent and Prospective Associations in the MTA.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Howard, AL; Kennedy, TM; Macdonald, EP; Mitchell, JT; Sibley, MH; Roy, A; Arnold, LE; Epstein, JN; Hinshaw, SP; Hoza, B; Stehli, A ...
Published in: J Abnorm Child Psychol
December 2019

Childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is prospectively linked to substance use and disorder. Depression emerging in adolescence is an understudied risk factor that may explain some of this risk. In the present study, we considered mediating and moderating roles of adolescent depression in explaining this association by using longitudinal data from the prospective 16-year follow-up of the Multimodal Treatment Study of ADHD (MTA). Participants were 547 children diagnosed with DSM-IV ADHD Combined Type, and 258 age- and sex-matched comparison children. In adolescence, depressive symptoms did not exacerbate effects of childhood ADHD on any substance use. For both groups, time-varying and average depressive symptoms were associated with more frequent use of all substances. Prospectively, we found no evidence of depression mediation to adult substance use. However, adolescent depression moderated the association between childhood ADHD and adult marijuana use. Although adults without ADHD histories used marijuana more frequently if they had elevated depressive symptoms in adolescence, marijuana use by adults with ADHD histories was independent of their adolescent depression. In adulthood, depression diagnoses and ADHD persistence continued to operate as independent, additive correlates of substance use risk. Our findings suggest a circumscribed role for depression in substance use risk that adds to, but does not alter or explain, ADHD-related risk.

Duke Scholars

Altmetric Attention Stats
Dimensions Citation Stats

Published In

J Abnorm Child Psychol

DOI

EISSN

1573-2835

Publication Date

December 2019

Volume

47

Issue

12

Start / End Page

1903 / 1916

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Young Adult
  • Substance-Related Disorders
  • Risk
  • Male
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Developmental & Child Psychology
  • Depression
  • Child
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Howard, A. L., Kennedy, T. M., Macdonald, E. P., Mitchell, J. T., Sibley, M. H., Roy, A., … Molina, B. S. G. (2019). Depression and ADHD-Related Risk for Substance Use in Adolescence and Early Adulthood: Concurrent and Prospective Associations in the MTA. J Abnorm Child Psychol, 47(12), 1903–1916. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-019-00573-y
Howard, Andrea L., Traci M. Kennedy, Erin P. Macdonald, John T. Mitchell, Margaret H. Sibley, Arunima Roy, L Eugene Arnold, et al. “Depression and ADHD-Related Risk for Substance Use in Adolescence and Early Adulthood: Concurrent and Prospective Associations in the MTA.J Abnorm Child Psychol 47, no. 12 (December 2019): 1903–16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-019-00573-y.
Howard AL, Kennedy TM, Macdonald EP, Mitchell JT, Sibley MH, Roy A, et al. Depression and ADHD-Related Risk for Substance Use in Adolescence and Early Adulthood: Concurrent and Prospective Associations in the MTA. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2019 Dec;47(12):1903–16.
Howard, Andrea L., et al. “Depression and ADHD-Related Risk for Substance Use in Adolescence and Early Adulthood: Concurrent and Prospective Associations in the MTA.J Abnorm Child Psychol, vol. 47, no. 12, Dec. 2019, pp. 1903–16. Pubmed, doi:10.1007/s10802-019-00573-y.
Howard AL, Kennedy TM, Macdonald EP, Mitchell JT, Sibley MH, Roy A, Arnold LE, Epstein JN, Hinshaw SP, Hoza B, Stehli A, Swanson JM, Molina BSG. Depression and ADHD-Related Risk for Substance Use in Adolescence and Early Adulthood: Concurrent and Prospective Associations in the MTA. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2019 Dec;47(12):1903–1916.
Journal cover image

Published In

J Abnorm Child Psychol

DOI

EISSN

1573-2835

Publication Date

December 2019

Volume

47

Issue

12

Start / End Page

1903 / 1916

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Young Adult
  • Substance-Related Disorders
  • Risk
  • Male
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Developmental & Child Psychology
  • Depression
  • Child