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Objective: Neurocognitive impairments are associated with child and adult ADHD in clinical settings. However, it is unknown whether adult ADHD symptoms in the general population are associated with the same pattern of cognitive impairment. We examined this using a prospective, population-based cohort spanning birth to age 25 years. Methods: We examined associations between self-reported adult ADHD symptoms and cognitive task performance (attention and response inhibition) in adulthood and childhood. Results: Self-rated ADHD symptoms at age 25 were associated with poorer performance in age 25 cognitive tasks capturing ADHD-related functioning (attention B = −0.03, 95% CI [0.05, −0.01], p =.005; response inhibition B = −0.03, 95% CI [−0.05, −0.01], p =.002). Conclusions: Neurocognitive impairments linked to adult ADHD symptoms in the general population, are similar to those found in people with childhood ADHD symptoms and are consistent with findings in adult ADHD clinical samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Depression and anxiety are the most common mental health problems in young people. Currently, clinicians are advised to wait before initiating treatment for young people with these disorders as many spontaneously remit. However, others develop recurrent disorder but this subgroup cannot be identified at the outset. We examined whether psychiatric polygenic scores (PGS) could help inform stratification efforts to predict those at higher risk of recurrence. Methods: Probable emotional disorder was examined in two UK population cohorts using the emotional symptoms subscale of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Those with emotional disorder at two or more time points between ages 5 and 25 years were classed as 'recurrent emotional disorder' (n = 1,643) and those with emotional disorder at one time point as having 'single episode emotional disorder' (n = 1,435, controls n = 8,715). We first examined the relationship between psychiatric PGS and emotional disorders in childhood and adolescence. Second, we tested whether psychiatric PGS added to predictor variables of known association with emotional disorder (neurodevelopmental comorbidity, special educational needs, family history of depression and socioeconomic status) when discriminating between single‐episode and recurrent emotional disorder. Analyses were conducted separately in individuals of European and South Asian ancestry. Results: Probable emotional disorder was associated with higher PGS for major depressive disorder (MDD), anxiety, broad depression, ADHD and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in those of European ancestry. Higher MDD and broad depression PGS were associated with emotional disorder in people of South Asian ancestry. Recurrent, compared to single‐episode, emotional disorder was associated with ASD and parental psychiatric history. PGS were not associated with episode recurrence, and PGS did not improve discrimination of recurrence when combined with clinical predictors. Conclusions: Our findings do not support the use of PGS as a tool to assess the likelihood of recurrence in young people experiencing their first episode of emotional disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is associated with a range of adverse outcomes in adult life. However it is unclear whether the risk pathways to adverse adult outcomes are established during childhood or whether associations are driven by concurrent ADHD symptoms that have persisted to adulthood., Methods: We examined associations between broadly defined child-limited (remitted) and persistent ADHD (assessed using the ADHD subscale of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) with social outcomes (low emotional and instrumental support, antisocial behaviour, employment, receipt of state benefits as an indicator of socio-economic disadvantage, homelessness) at age 25 years in a UK longitudinal population sample ALPSAC (the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, age 25 data collected between years 2017 and 2018): total N=6439., Results: Up to 20% of young-people with less favourable social outcomes at age 25 had persistent ADHD. Persistent ADHD was associated with an increased likelihood of being not in education, employment or training (NEET: OR=3.71, 95% CI=2.06 to 6.67, p=1x10 -05 ) and receiving state benefits (OR=2.72, 95% CI=1.62 to 4.57, p=2x10 -04 ) at age 25 years compared to those without ADHD. We did not find strong evidence of associations between child-limited ADHD and social outcomes (NEET OR=1.20, 95% CI=0.54 to 2.69, p=0.65; state benefits OR=1.38, 95% CI=0.76 to 2.51, p=0.29). Persistent ADHD associations with negative social outcomes were observed across family-of-origin income groups, sex and were not explained by comorbidity., Conclusion: Our findings highlight the importance of continued monitoring and management of ADHD symptoms and related social as well as clinical outcomes across development into adulthood. Future research is needed to identify what factors promote positive social outcomes, including effective treatment of adult ADHD symptoms.