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The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research

Published in:

01-10-2009 | Regular Article

Service Use Patterns for Adolescents with ADHD and Comorbid Conduct Disorder

Authors: Damon E. Jones, PhD, E. Michael Foster, PhD, Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group

Published in: The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research | Issue 4/2009

Abstract

Service use patterns and costs of youth diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and comorbid conduct disorder (CD) were assessed across adolescence (ages 12 through 17). Featured service sectors include mental health, school services, and the juvenile justice system. Data are provided by three cohorts from the Fast Track evaluation and are based on parent report. Diagnostic groups are identified through a structured assessment. Results show that public costs for youth with ADHD exceed $40,000 per child on average over a 6-year period, more than doubling service expenditures for a non-ADHD group. Public costs for children with comorbid ADHD and CD double the costs of those with ADHD alone. Varying patterns by service sector, diagnosis, and across time indicate different needs for youth with different conditions and at different ages and can provide important information for prevention and treatment researchers.

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Racial breakdown varies substantially across sites as sample composition reflects the characteristics of the representative high-risk youth in the respective communities. The confounding of site with race is addressed in statistical models using covariates. Any further focus on varying service patterns across racial and/or regional differences is beyond the scope of this study.

The Fast Track project assessed behavioral conditions at age 9, age 12, and age 15. The latter two measurement periods were used to assess ADHD and CD since they are proximal to the period of adolescence when service trends are examined, and also provide diagnoses based on behavior across a full year (the earlier assessment was only based on a 6-month period).

These numbers are based on pre-imputed data. All figures in this section are unweighted N’s and percentages (except where noted). Weights were used in all cost calculations and significance tests presented in the “Results” section.

The year 2000 was used as it represents a central timepoint between the earliest data collection for these outcomes (1997 for cohort 1) and the latest (2004 for cohort 3).

Differences are marginally significant at age 17, p < 0.10.

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Title: Service Use Patterns for Adolescents with ADHD and Comorbid Conduct Disorder
Authors: Damon E. Jones, PhD
E. Michael Foster, PhD
Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group
Publication date: 01-10-2009
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research / Issue 4/2009
Print ISSN: 1094-3412
Electronic ISSN: 2168-6793
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-008-9133-3

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Service Use Patterns for Adolescents with ADHD and Comorbid Conduct Disorder

Abstract

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on sleep in brain health

Springer Medicine

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