ADHD symptoms and quality of life across a 12-month period in children with ADHD: a longitudinal study

Objective: To describe the relationship between ADHD symptom severity and quality of life (QoL) across three time points over a 12-month period and investigate whether sleep modifies this relationship. Method: Children aged 5 to 13 years with ADHD were recruited from 21 pediatric practices across Victoria, Australia (N = 392). Child QoL (parent-report) and ADHD symptoms (both parent- and teacher-report) were assessed at three time points (0, 6, and 12 months), and sleep was assessed at baseline (parent-report). Data were analyzed using Pearson’s correlations and autoregressive cross-lagged panel models. Results: Parent-reported ADHD symptoms predicted poorer QoL at each subsequent time point (r = −.10 to −.13), and a small bidirectional relationship was observed between teacher-reported ADHD symptoms and QoL from 6 to 12 months. Sleep moderated the relationship between ADHD symptoms and QoL. Conclusion: Clinicians need to look beyond core ADHD symptoms to other factors that may be influencing QoL in children with ADHD.