Childhood Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Substance Use, and Adult Functioning Among Incarcerated Women

Objective: To estimate prevalence of childhood ADHD among incarcerated women and determine its association with substance use and adult functioning. Method: 192 female participants are recruited from the Department of Corrections in Rhode Island. Childhood ADHD is defined as scoring >46 on the Wender Utah Rating Scale. Results: The findings reveal that 46% met criteria for childhood ADHD. Multivariate analysis reveal that women meeting WURS criteria were more likely to be inconsistently employed (OR = 0.23, 95% CI = 0.10-0.54), recently homeless (OR = 2.09, 95% CI = 1.02-4.30), lifetime incarceration of more than 90 days (OR = 3.00, 95% CI = 1.37-6.57), current smokers (OR = 2.99, 95% CI = 1.24-7.20), and ever used marijuana regularly (OR = 3.47, 95% CI = 1.61-7.45). Conclusion: Among incarcerated women, childhood ADHD is associated with negative social and health behaviors.