ADHD (Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) Symptoms Are Associated With Chronic Pain Interference: Results From a Prospective Cohort Study.
Patrick C M Brown, Sarah W Feldstein Ewing, Anna C Wilson
PMID 39629884WHAT IT FOUND
Young adults with more ADHD symptoms after an acute pain episode were more likely to report moderate-to-severe pain interference 6 months later.
Pain catastrophizing was also linked to ongoing interference. This is an association, not proof that treatment helps.
Key findings
01In the final adjusted model, each additional baseline ADHD symptom was associated with 52% higher odds of moderate-to-severe pain interference at 6 months.
02Pain catastrophizing was also independently associated with pain interference at 6 months, with each additional point linked to 7% higher odds.
03Assigned sex at birth, ACEs and baseline pain interference were not significantly associated with persistent moderate-to-severe pain interference at 6 months in univariable tests.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Only 71 of the 116 participants who completed baseline data completed the pain interference measure at 6 months. The study was not powered to examine ADHD medication, because only five participants endorsed taking ADHD medication during the study. Baseline characteristics were assessed during the acute pain period, so pain experience may have influenced ADHD symptom reporting. The ASRS Screener has mixed validity across populations with potentially co-occurring conditions. Attention was treated as a unitary construct, so more nuanced attention components were not examined. Much of the data collection occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have influenced variables. The sample came from an academic medical centre in Portland, Oregon, and 72% were non-Hispanic White.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. Data were collected as part of an ongoing longitudinal cohort study (3R01DA044778–02S1).
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that treating ADHD symptoms reduces chronic pain interference. The study observed an association over 6 months and did not randomise or test ADHD treatment. The 52% increase refers to odds of moderate-to-severe pain interference, not proof of causation.