PurposeAlthough gender differences have been reported in various aspects of adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), such as prevalence, comorbidities, and social functioning, there have been few such studies conducted in Japan. Our research investigated gender differences in sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of adults with ADHD in a Japanese clinical sample. Due to unique Japanese cultural ideals and expectations of women’s behavior that are in opposition to ADHD symptoms, we hypothesized that women with ADHD experience more difficulties and present more dysfunctions than men. We tested the following hypotheses: first, women with ADHD have more comorbidities than men with ADHD; second, women with ADHD experience more social hardships than men, such as having less full-time employment and being more likely to be divorced.Patients and methodsThe subjects were 335 outpatients with a DSM-5 ADHD diagnosis, who visited our ADHD specialty clinic at Showa University Karasuyama Hospital in central Tokyo between April 2015 and March 2016. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were collected, and gender differences were compared.ResultsResults fully supported our hypotheses: women had a significantly higher psychiatric comorbidity rate, were significantly less likely to be a full-time employee, and were significantly more likely to be divorced than men with ADHD.ConclusionConsistent with research in other countries, women with ADHD have greater impairments than men with ADHD in Japan. The importance of understanding gender differences of ADHD-diagnosed adults within a sociocultural context is highlighted.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is defined as repetitive maladaptive behaviors, stereotyped motor mannerisms, and rigid adherence to routines, in addition to difficulty in interpersonal relationships and social interactions. 1 Although the DSM-IV 2 and ICD-10 3 criteria do not allow codiagnosis of ASD and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), several researchers have noted that children with ASD frequently have symptoms similar to those of ADHD, such as inattention or impulsivity. 4,5 Similarly, children with ADHD often show interpersonal and social impairment resembling the core symptoms of ASD. [6][7][8] Given these overlaps, the comorbidity of ASD and ADHD
Adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have difficulty in social decision-making. The ultimatum game (UG) is a popular economic game used to evaluate social decision-making. This study aimed to examine the effects of schematically depicted eyes and ADHD symptoms on UG performance. Thirty adults with ADHD were recruited. The computer screen background was changed among the "eyespots," "neutral," and "flowers" conditions among 30 trials of UG. Through all trials, task performances were recorded, and then compared with 30 typical adults and 30 adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The reaction time was not affected by the background in any group. Although typical adults distributed more money in the "eyespots" condition, a nonsignificant background effect was observed in adults with ADHD or ASD. These results may be associated with reduced attention to social cues in individuals with ADHD, and this ADHD characteristic might lead to difficulty in social decision-making.
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