Investigation of childhood traumas in inpatient adults with major depression and with or without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder comorbidity

Abstract

Objective: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood and a significant number of symptoms continue in adulthood. Depression is very common in the daily practice of psychiatrists whereas patients with ADHD comorbidity could not be considered by the clinicians. One of the less studied aspects of adult ADHD is its association with childhood traumas. The aim of this study was to compare adults with major depression (MD) with or without ADHD comorbidity (MD-ADHD) in terms of childhood traumas and the severity of psychopathology. Method: 33 inpatients with MD-ADHD and 30 inpatients with MD were included in the study. The diagnoses were made according to DSM-V criteria, and sociodemographic evaluation scale, Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS), Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Scale (A-ADHDS), Hamilton Depression Scale (HDS), Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), and Personal Social Performance Scale (PSPS) were applied to the patients. Results: The mean HDS scores of MD-ADHD patients during hospitalization were higher (p=0.007), total CTQ scores were higher (p=0.006), and mean PSPS scores were lower than the MD group (p=0.012). The mean scores of emotional abuse, physical neglect, and physical abuse were higher in MD-ADHD patients (p=0.013; p=0.017; p=0.016; respectively). All trauma scores except emotional neglect and sexual abuse were higher in combined type ADHD than the other two groups. Discussion: Depression patients with comorbid ADHD had more severe depression level and lower functionality compared to those with depression alone. It is important to investigate the history of childhood traumas in adults with depression and ADHD comorbidity.