Psychosocial and Medical Histories of Stimulant-Treated Children

Medical records of all children (N = 38) being treated with psychostimulants for attention deficit disorder at one general hospital clinic were screened from birth to point of diagnosis. Frequency of medical and psychosocial conditions, including hospitalizations, perinatal distress, chronic medical illness, separation from caregivers, family turmoil/divorce, and abuse/neglect were recorded and compared with control records matched for sex. Results indicated that stimulant-treated children had significantly more histories in all categories; also, stimulant-treated children had more than twice as many actual medical and psychosocial events felt to be significantly threatening to a child. Results suggest that stimulant-treated children comprise a group at risk for a variety of medical and psychosocial adversities, but these factors do not appear to be considered during routine clinical management of these children.