Anxiety and depression in adolescents with ADHD and autism spectrum disorders; correlation between parent- and self-reports and with attention and adaptive functioning
Sammanfattning
Background: Adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder (ADHD) or autism spectrum disorder
(ASD) are at high risk of anxiety and depression. This is important to identify in the clinical
assessment to understand its impact.
Aims: The aim of this study is to investigate the correlation between parent- and self-reports of anxiety
and depression in adolescents with ADHD or ASD, as well as the correlation with adaptive functioning
and performance on an attention test.
Method: A total of 65 adolescents with an ADHD diagnosis (n ¼ 24) or an ASD diagnosis (n ¼ 41) filled
out Beck Youth Inventories of Emotional and Social Impairment (BYI) to assess depression and anxiety
and completed a Continuous Performance Test (QbTest) measuring ADHD symptoms. Parents of the
participants completed the internalizing domain in the Five to Fifteen questionnaire (FTF), measuring
symptoms of anxiety and depression, and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS) about the
adolescent’s adaptive functioning.
Results: Approximately a third of the study group self-reported substantial internalizing mental symptoms
not always recognized by parents, and not always obvious in adaptive function or performance
at ADHD test. Correlations between BYI and FTF were low. The BYI depression inventory correlated
negatively with VABS and positively with activity level in a subgroup medicated for ADHD. There was a
stronger correlation between girls BYI and FTF results as compared with boys.
Conclusions: The results highlight the need for identification of anxiety and depression, using both
self- and parent report. Present anxiety and depression symptoms do not seem to affect the clinical
assessment of ASD and ADHD.