ADHD Attributed To Gestational Diabetes And Economic Status

The researchers at Queen's College and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine have undertaken a groundbreaking study finding that correlated environmental factors like socioeconomic status and the existence of gestational diabetes on the development of a child.

It found that when the mother is of low socioeconomic status and had diabetes during pregnancy, as there is an increased risk of the child born developing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD when they reach six years of age.

The study was conducted under the leadership of Dr. Jeffrey M. Halperin, Professorial Lecturer in Psychiatry and Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Mount Sinai together with Dr. Yoko Nomura, Assistant Clinical Professor at Mount Sinai and Assistant Professor of Psychology at Queen's College. The study is to be published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine for January 2012.

There were 212 children evaluated in study with ages ranging from three to four years of age. They were again evaluated for signs of ADHD when they reached six years of age. The children were categorized into factors such as socioeconomic status, experience with gestational diabetes or both factors. Of the sample group, 97 had neither factor while 115 had both factors present.

When these children reach age six, the researchers evaluated them and the results found that when the child's parents are of low socioeconomic standing and had gestational diabetes during the pregnancy, they have an increased risk of developing ADHD. When both factors were present in the child, the risk of developing this disorder increased exponentially.

"To our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate how prenatal exposure to gestational diabetes and low socioeconomic status together contribute to the development of ADHD. The results show these children are at far greater risk for developing ADHD or showing signs of impaired neurocognitive and behavioral development, " according Dr. Nomura.

At preschool age, children participating in the study went through the standard ADHD ratings scale. There were questions specifically for parents and their teachers, semi-structured interviews, neuropsychological functioning, intelligence quotient scores and observation of the child's temperament. The interviews with children that had gestational diabetes were known through interviews with their mothers. Their status was determined using the Index of Socioeconomic Prestige.

Upon reaching six years of age, the children were re-evaluated when their emotional and behavioral levels were determined through neuropsychological tests. Several emotional and physical functions were measured such as level of anxiety, hyperactivity, aggression and attention. When the child had either low status or diabetes during pregnancy, the risk of developing ADHD doubled. When both are present, the risk increased by fourteen times.