Assessment of Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder in adult alcoholics

Abstract

This study examined the relationship of alcoholics' self-report of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms (retrospectively and currently) to objective measures of attentional ability, and to alcohol-related characteristics. Forty-six male alcoholics presenting for substance abuse treatment were administered the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS), a current self-report attentional symptom questionnaire, objective attentional measures, the Shipley Institute of Living Scale, a drug use history questionnaire, and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Twenty-eight percent of the sample scored above established cutoffs for both the retrospective and current symptom questionnaires.However, the self-report and objective measures of attention were not significantly correlated. Only 9% of the sample showed both high rates of self-report endorsement of attentional difficulties and objective attentional impairment. As predicted, depressive symptoms (high BDI scores) were associated with increased self-report of attentional problems. Presence of a DSM Axis I or Axis II diagnosis was also associated with increased retrospective self-report of ADHD symptoms. These findings have important implications for the assessment, differential diagnosis, and treatment of ADHD in alcoholic populations. ntil recently, it was widely believed that children t outgrew the major symptoms of attention-deficit

Continuous Performance Tests Are Sensitive to ADHD in Adults but Lack Specificity

“…Like the CAARS, the WURS is another measure that can be used for retrospective self‐report of ADHD symptoms in adults. A number of studies have been used with the WURS, and findings support the use of this scale as a screener 5,18,21,33,60–63. The WURS includes a parent‐report scale to aid in the diagnostic process; however, Richards and colleagues60 found little agreement between college students' self‐reports of ADHD symptoms and parents' reports.…”