Hyperactive girls face "serious" problems in adulthood

Mar 24 2008

New research suggests that girls who were hyperactive when they were younger are more likely to have "serious" problems later in life.

The research by University College London and the University of Montreal, has revealed that one in ten girls have hyperactivity problems and this was linked to poor job prospects, abusive relationships and teenage pregnancy.

In a study of more than 881 Canadian girls up to the age of 21, the British and Canadian researchers found hyperactive girls were more likely to have poor school-leaving qualifications, become hooked on smoking and fall into mentally abusive relationships later in life.

The researchers say previous research on the lasting impact of childhood hyperactivity has focused on boys and they are more likely to be diagnosed and treated.

They say though hyperactivity is less common in girls, young girls with high levels of hyperactivity should also be targeted early in life to help them achieve at school.

Study leader, Dr. Nathalie Fontaine from University College, London, says there are currently very few interventions which target females.

The study assessed the girls yearly between the age of six and 12 and looked for signs of restlessness, jumping up and down, not keeping still, and being fidgety, and also assessed physical aggression such as fighting, bullying, kicking, biting or hitting.

The researchers found 1 in 10 showed high levels of hyperactive behaviour, while another 1 in 10 showed both high levels of hyperactive and physically aggressive behaviour.

They say those who were the most hyperactive or aggressive were more than twice as likely to be addicted to smoking, fall into mentally abusive relationships and four times more likely to do poorly at school.

Girls with both hyperactivity and physical aggression were found to report later problems of physical as well as psychological aggression towards their partner, along with early pregnancy and dependency on welfare.

However a quarter of the girls with hyperactivity had no problems in adulthood.

Dr. Fontaine says the findings were not unexpected and more research is needed to understand the factors that prevent or trigger the development of such problems.

Experts suspect that hyperactivity is diagnosed more commonly in boys because girls cause less trouble and they are often left to get on with things.

They also say schools often lack the skills or resources to deal with children with hyperactivity but the key is having someone who is sensitive to such needs.

The study is published in the latest issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.