Hacker News Reader

Comment by rendx | Hacker News Reader

"For both men and women, childhood physical abuse was associated with significantly higher odds of reporting ADHD (men odds ratio [OR] = 1.66, p < .001; women OR = 1.95, p < .001). For both genders, childhood sexual abuse was also significantly related to higher odds of ADHD (men OR = 2.57, p < .001; women OR = 2.55, p < .001); however, exposure to parental domestic violence was only associated with elevated odds of ADHD among women (men OR = 0.89, p = .60; women OR = 1.54, p = .03). The results demonstrate a link between childhood physical and sexual abuse and ADHD for both men and women."

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S01452...

View on HN

I don't have numbers like this well-researched response, but apparently neglected children have higher odds of being diagnosed with ADHD, which is seen through the very high occurrence of ADHD and similar in children who entered foster care at very young ages (in this case, younger than 5 years, well before ADHD is diagnosed). This elevated risk of ADHD apparently doesn't show itself in children put in foster care at later ages.

The specific symptom they were looking at in what I was reading, was how people with ADHD easily walk away from things (friends, family, etc.), never to return. Basically a lot of kids attempt to run away, but people with ADHD are far less likely to return if they succeed in "getting away".

The article was relating having lived the earliest part of their lives being pushed away, to the ability to more easily separate and push everyone away permanently later in life (which they referred to as "shutting down"), and the possibility that ADHD itself might be a coping and survival mechanism.

That's very interesting! Do you happen to have any sources? A brief search didn't turn up anything this specific.

I too would like to see where this research is because it describes me to a tee - I'm very much prone to throwing my hands up in the air at a certain point and going full scorched earth - I think that's the rejection sensitive dysphoria mechanism, but could be a few other things wrapped up amongst that.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com