Prevalence of ADHD and Its Subtypes in Male and Female Adult Prison Inmates

What is it about?

There are few published studies of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adult inmates, and even fewer studies that have considered ADHD in adult inmates by gender. The present study examined the prevalence of ADHD, its subtypes, and associated psychological and neuropsychological comorbidity as a function of gender in an adult prison population. The final sample consisted of 3,962 inmates (n = 3,439 men and n = 523 women; M age = 33.6 years, range = 17 to 73 years) who had completed the 250-item, self-report, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (Text Revision) (DSM-IV-TR)-aligned Coolidge Correctional Inventory (CCI). The overall prevalence rate of ADHD was found to be 10.5%, which is substantially higher than the rate found among adults in the general population (2% – 5%). The female inmate ADHD prevalence rate (15.1%) was higher than the male inmate ADHD rate (9.8%), which was consistent with some previous studies. The most prevalent ADHD subtype for both males and females was the hyperactive-impulsive subtype. In general, the combined and inattentive ADHD subtypes had higher levels of comorbid psychopathology than the hyperactive-impulsive ADHD subtype. As the presence of ADHD may impact the success of rehabilitation and educative programs with inmates, the careful assessment of ADHD and any comorbid psychopathology should be a priority in initial inmate screening and evaluation.

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Photo by Jacek Dylag on Unsplash

Photo by Jacek Dylag on Unsplash