Childhood attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder traits and experiences of intimate partner violence up to midlife: evidence from a longitudinal cohort over five decades

BACKGROUND: Emerging evidence suggests that attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be associated with increased likelihood of experiencing interpersonal harm, including from intimate partners. AIMS: This study aims to test the long-term associations between ADHD traits in childhood and experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) up to midlife (age 51 years). METHOD: Data were from the 1970 British Cohort Study, a nationally representative longitudinal study of people born during 1970. ADHD traits were assessed at age 10 years. Lifetime experience of five types of IPV was measured at age 51 years (harassment, economic abuse, physical violence, threats/coercive control, sexual violence). Regression models were used to test associations between childhood ADHD traits and midlife IPV, adjusting for gender, ethnicity and childhood social class. RESULTS: Adjusted models showed that ADHD traits in childhood were associated with higher risk of experiencing any form of IPV, a greater number of different IPV experiences and all individual subtypes of IPV by age 51 years. Post-estimation showed that around one in seven men and one in four women without high ADHD traits experience some form of IPV by midlife. In people with high ADHD traits (4.40%), these estimates increase to approximately one in five men and one in three women. CONCLUSIONS: Higher levels of childhood ADHD traits are associated with an increased risk of experiencing IPV by middle age. These findings highlight that ADHD may be associated with increased vulnerability to interpersonal harm in relationships. Identifying people with ADHD at greatest risk, as well as addressing the needs of people with ADHD within IPV prevention and response systems is important for reducing harm and addressing inequalities faced by people with ADHD over the life course.